Concrete Angel
by Rac4hel414
Summary: Gabriella Montez has been a foster child since she was ten. She moves to Albuquerque to live with the McKessies. Rated M for topics raised and violence.
1. Prologue

**A/N: 'Promises you weren't around to keep' just isn't working out. I'm sorry :( This is my new story. It's based off of 'concrete angel' by Martina McBride and 'Your guardian angel' by the red jumpsuit apparatus.**

**Don't own HSM x

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Prologue

Gabriella felt the car jerk to a stop and her eyes – unfortunately – opened as a result. Not that her dreams – people would argue that they were nightmares – were something she wanted to escape to. But, with her nightmares, she always knew what was coming. Every time this car came to a stop, she rarely knew what her new foster family would be like. She hated not knowing what was coming. She hated surprises, period. The only surprises she liked were in her books. The only happiness she had was in her books.

And she was okay with that because she knew she didn't deserve real happiness. She didn't deserve to feel like she had a reason to live. She knew that she was alive because she needed to suffer. She had every reason to suffer…to live in pain. She had never thought of looking for an escape and didn't want to. Looking for an escape meant looking for happiness and she knew she didn't deserve it.

"Gabriella, this is your new home." Mrs Thompson, a social worker who I've known for seven years, says softly. "They're the McKessie's."

Gabriella nodded and stared up at the large white house. "Y-Y-You said th-that they have a d-d-daughter my age?" She stuttered in a whisper.

Mrs Thompson nodded. "Yeah. She's called Taylor and really smart like you."

"I'm not smart." Gabriella muttered – exactly like she did at every new home.

Mrs Thompson cut the engine and sighed. "Mr and Mrs McKessie mentioned that they were thinking about adopting."

"Why w-would they want t-to ad-dopt me?" She whispered as she un-clicked her seatbelt.

Mrs Thompson looked down at her hands. Gabriella was a very sweet girl but she underestimated herself way too much. She'd deny every compliment put to her and would push any chance any happiness away. She knew why the seventeen year old girl did it. She was one of the few people that knew the whole truth. She also knew how Gabriella feared people finding out and so she only told the foster parents the bare minimum. "Do you want to come and meet them?"

"Sure." Gabriella whispered.

That's what Mrs Thompson admired the most about Gabriella: she gave everyone a chance…even people who it was clear didn't deserve it. Gabriella, herself, was probably one of the people who deserved a chance the most. "Come on." The older woman said softly as she slid out of the car.

Gabriella sighed as she picked up her tattered backpack and followed suit. She got her small suitcase out of the trunk of the car and looked up fearfully at the house in front of her. She folded her arms – somewhat awkwardly due to the suitcase – defensively and felt tears well in her eyes.

It was always the same. The same fear. It had never happened with any of her previous foster families – and she faintly doubted that it happened with any in the world – but anything was possible and she refused to let her guard down. Letting her guard down was just asking for trouble. It made her vulnerable and she wanted some warning if her fears were going to come true.

"You ready?" Mrs Thompson asked as she locked the car.

Gabriella nodded mutely and reached up to touch her cheek self-consciously.

"You can't see it." Mrs Thompson said softly. "I promise."

Gabriella sucked in a deep breath and finally nodded again. "Okay." She whispered. "H-How long am I h-here?"

"Until the end of summer vacation." Mrs Thompson replied softly as she walked up the front door steps towards the door. "The longest you've ever been anywhere."

"Longer for it to begin." Gabriella whispered before she hastily followed the older woman.

Mrs Thompson straightened her black blazer and then rang the doorbell. The door opened moments later by an African-American woman in her late forties. "Hello. I'm Mrs Thompson, are you Mrs Diane McKessie."

Diane nodded. "Yes I am. And you're the social worker and Gabriella?"

Mrs Thompson nodded. "Yes, we are."

"Well, then, come on in." Diane smiled. "Let me take those, Gabriella." She gestured to her two bags.

Gabriella swallowed. She was alright with them. It was her stuff. But, she was terrified of refusing anybody of anything. That's why she ended up as a foster child. She handed her bags over. "Thank you." She whispered, bowing her head.

Diane shook her head as she placed the bags at the bottom of the stairs. "It's okay. Don't think anything of it." She shut the front door and gestured to a doorway to the left. "Shall we go into the lounge?"

Mrs Thompson nodded. "Of course. Come on, Gabby." She led the way into the large living room and Gabriella followed timidly.

Diane followed and held her hand out. "Welcome to my home, Gabriella."

Gabriella hesitantly shook her hand and nodded. "Th-thank you." She mumbled. She retracted her hand and folded her arms over her chest.

"Let me just go and get my daughter and husband. Excuse me." Diane said politely as she left the room.

"Relax, Gabriella." Mrs Thompson said soothingly. "They've been police checked. Nothing's going to happen."

Gabriella shrugged. "It always happens." She whispered as she looked down at the carpet. She knew that Mrs Thompson understood. They had had the same conversation many times and Gabriella knew they would keep having the conversation until she wasn't a foster child anymore.

Mrs Thompson touched Gabriella's arm. "Trust me, okay? I think these people are really considering adoption."

Gabriella snapped her gaze to her. "That's p-permanent." She stuttered.

Diane returned with a young African-American girl and an African-American man. "This is my husband, Harry, and my daughter, Taylor. She's only a bit older than you, Gabriella."

Gabriella nodded slightly. "Hello." She murmured.

Harry stepped forward and smiled, touching her shoulder. "I'm sure you're going to love Albuquerque. It's lovely."

"Is it quiet?" Gabriella asked softly.

"It's pretty quiet." Harry replied, chuckling.

"Good." Gabriella muttered.

Harry went back to his wife and then Taylor was in front of Gabriella. "Hi. If you need help with anything, you can ask me. I've got some cool friends at school who want to meet you."

"Oh, um," Gabriella glanced at Mrs Thompson and sighed, "could I please settle in a bit first? If that's okay."

"It's fine." Taylor giggled. "But, when we're at school and you need anything, just come and find me."

Gabriella nodded and smiled weakly. "Okay."

"Tay, why don't you show Gabriella to the spare room?" Diane suggested.

Taylor nodded. "Sure. Come on, Gabriella."

Gabriella followed dutifully and paused at the bottom of the stairs to look back at Mrs Thompson as she said four familiar words, "I apologise for Gabriella." Gabriella knew what was coming and waited for the rest of the conversation.

"What happened to her?" Harry asked worriedly.

Mrs Thompson sighed. "She's fragile. She keeps herself to herself, okay? No matter what we do for her, nothing can break her from it. She was traumatised as a child. Just to warn you, she will hide if she is scared or if she's startled."

"Hide?" Diane asked slowly.

Mrs Thompson looked to the stairs and met Gabriella's eyes. She turned back to the two parents and nodded. "She'll hide."


	2. First day at East High

**A/N: This is working out better than 'Promises you weren't around to keep' but this is my first time doing one like this so it might not be very good. Don't own HSM x

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Chapter 1 – First day at East High

Gabriella cowered back in fear, scurrying back under the dining room table. Tears threatened to fall but she wouldn't let them. She learnt how to stop the tears years ago. But they still stung her eyes. She had no control over that. She just controlled whether they spilled over. Her arms hugged her knees protectively to her chest, attempting to make herself as small as possible.

She saw it coming. She knew what would happen. She saw the empty bottle crash to the floor and smash as it hit the wooden floor. She released a muffled whimper into her knees and scurried even further back until her back softly hit the wall which the table was pushed up against.

She saw his legs. He was stood directly in front of the table and she knew she didn't have long. But, what could she do? Who could she call? What reason did she have to cry out for help? She deserved it. Everything that had happened to her had been because she deserved it.

The door slammed open and-

Gabriella was woken up by a hand nudging her shoulder. "Huh." She grumbled as her eyes fluttered open. She sat up and held a hand to her thumping head. She was in a cold sweat and her cheeks were wet. "What time is it?" She mumbled.

"About six thirty." A soothing voice replied as a hand rubbed her arm. "It's okay, Honey, but you were having a nightmare."

Gabriella finally allowed her eyes to open and saw Diane in her robe and sitting on the edge of her bed. "Oh. I-I'm sorry." She whispered, looking down at her lap.

"Don't worry. You did nothing wrong. Why don't you go back to sleep?" Diane suggested.

Gabriella inhaled shakily and shook her head. "I'm used t-to get-ting up-p early. D-Do you ha-have any Ty-Tylenol?"

Diane nodded. "Are you okay?"

"My h-head hurts a l-little bit." Gabriella mumbled.

"I'll go and get you some, okay? Don't move. I'll get it." She smiled reassuringly and hurriedly left the room.

Gabriella shuffles back until her back hit the headboard. The same thing happened the previous day. The same thing happened pretty much every day of her life. But, she never told anyone what happened in her nightmares, always claiming that she didn't remember her dreams or nightmares. She knew that people always had dreams but only remembered a few. She was in the minority because she always remembered her dreams. She could've said that she didn't want to remember her dreams…but why would she want to forget something that she deserved.

Her bedroom door opened and Diane returned with a glass of water and her hand cradling some capsules. "Here you go, Honey." She sat down on the edge of the bed again and handed the tablets and drink to Gabriella.

Gabriella swallowed the capsules with two grateful gulps of water. "Thank you Mrs McKessie." She whispered as she cradled the cold glass in her hands.

"Don't worry, Dear. Why don't you drink the rest of that and get some fluid in you?" Diane suggested.

Gabriella nodded and took slow sips, allowing the cold liquid to quench her thirst. "I-Is it t-true th-that you're th-thinking of adop-opting m-me?" She whispered, staring at her lap.

Diane brushed her fingers softly over Gabriella's dark curls. "We're thinking about it. We've always wanted another child since Tay but I guess it just wasn't to be. Then, we started fostering."

Gabriella nodded and took another – longer – gulp of water. "Th-thank you f-for having me here."

"Nonsense." Diane dismissed. "We were grateful. Taylor – although she loves children – gets a bit annoyed with the younger ones because they didn't understand that she has a lot of schoolwork. We're grateful that you're her age."

"W-Why?" Gabriella stuttered. "D-Does she n-not have any f-friends?

Diane nodded hesitantly. "She has a couple but she gets easily annoyed by the jocks. She has lovely friends. I'm sure they'll like you."

Gabriella shook her head slightly. "I'm not really a p-people person."

"They're lovely people." Diane whispered.

"Mrs McKessie, it's hard and I apologise in advance if I hurt T-Taylor or any of her fr-friends." Gabriella muttered, finally lifting her gaze.

"Taylor understands. We've been fostering so long that she realises that it can be hard. I'm here…if you need to talk about anything." Diane said softly.

Gabriella nodded. "Thank you. Could I, m-maybe, go and make myself some breakfast?"

Diane nodded. "That's fine. Would you like some help?"

Gabriella shook her head. "I'm f-fine. You can go back to bed, if you want."

Diane chuckled to herself. "When you're a mom, you can never get back to sleep."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Gabriella apologised hurriedly. "Next t-time, j-just leave m-me al-lone."

"Hey, I wouldn't ever." Diane whispered. "I know it's hard, okay? But, we care about you."

Gabriella bit her lip just as a loud growl came from her stomach. "I think I should have some breakfast."

Diane nodded. "Yeah, me too. Tay will be waking up soon."

Gabriella pushed the comforter from her body and slid off of the bed. She pulled her pale blue robe around her body and turned to Diane. "Thank you…for waking me up." She whispered.

Diane smiled softly and got to her feet. "Don't worry, okay? You'll be fine."

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Gabriella turned pitifully to Diane and Harry. "I honestly d-don't th-think this is a g-good id-dea." She whispered.

"Gabby," Diane touched her arm and sighed, "I told you you'd be fine. Tay's with you all the way. I promise."

Taylor smiled brightly at Gabriella. "I'm in all of your classes, so don't worry about it."

Gabriella looked up as Principal Matsui handed a folder to her. "I looked over your transcript and I expect your light will shine very brightly here at East High."

Gabriella released a soft breath and nodded. "Right."

Diane took Gabriella's hand. "Um, you don't have to do gym today. I told them to let you settle in so you don't have to do gym today."

Gabriella nodded thankfully. "Thank you."

"Come on, Gabriella, your homeroom's this way." Taylor began enthusiastically as she grabbed Gabriella's hand.

Gabriella nodded and followed her through the crowded hallways. She tugged her hand out of Taylor's and fiddled self-consciously with her hair which partly covered her left cheek. She noticed people looking over at her and she suddenly wondered whether her long sleeved jacket and jeans covered everything up. "Tay." She whispered.

Taylor stopped and turned around. "Yeah?"

"I n-need to g-go to the bathroom. You go on ahead. I-I'll be f-fine." Gabriella mumbled.

"You sure? I can show you where it is so you don't get lost." Taylor offered.

Gabriella nodded. "It's okay. I'll find it."

Taylor studied her for a moment before she sighed. "Okay. Call me if you get lost." She turned around and continued on her way.

Gabriella sighed in relief and looked down at the folder in her hands. She found the map and figured out where the girls' bathroom was. She pushed the door open and found a couple of cheerleaders fixing their make-up in the mirror. They looked her up and down and giggled between themselves as they left. Gabriella shook their laughter off and rushed over to the mirrors. She lifted the locks of hair which covered her left cheek and sighed with relief. It wasn't visible. No one would know.

It meant everything to her. That people were clueless. People already thought of her as a freak because of how quiet she was and how smart she was and how she was obsessed with books. And her stutter. Why would she want her past to make everything worse?

The bathroom door opened and she turned to see a couple of skater girls enter. She smiled weakly and rushed past them, entering the crowded hall again. She glanced down at the map and began weaving her way through the mass of students towards her homeroom. She stared at her feet, only glancing up when she was unsure if she had to turn or not.

She turned left to enter the classroom and walked right into something – or someone. Her folder fell to the floor and she hurried to pick it all up. "I'm sorry." She mumbled.

Two other hands began gathering a few sheets of paper which had fallen out. "No worries." A soft voice dismissed.

Gabriella accepted the papers and placed them inside. She straightened up and was about to step around the person when they placed a hand on her shoulder. "What?" She jumped, finally lifting her gaze.

He was tall. Much, much taller than her. He had a mop of dirty blonde hair which fell over his forehead. His eyes were amazingly blue and they nestled perfectly above his cheekbones. His cheeks looked incredibly smooth and his chin was the perfect angle below his mouth. His red jacket and white shirt told her he was obviously a jock. School colours.

"You okay?" He asked, his hand still on her shoulder.

Gabriella nodded silently as she swallowed. "I'm f-fine." She muttered.

"Are you new here?" He questioned, blatantly ignoring the throng of students who trailed into the classroom and kept knocking his shoulder. He stood his ground and refused to get pushed into her.

She nodded again. "Yeah. I've j-just m-moved here from G-Glenwood." She stuttered, hugging her folder to her torso.

"That's cool." The guy noted. He held his hand out. "I'm-"

"Troy!" A voice yelled from inside the classroom.

They both turned to see an African-American guy with an afro and a basketball waving Troy over. "One second, Chad." He spoke through gritted teeth.

Gabriella tensed up. She knew that tone all too well. Tears welled up in her eyes and she swallowed a large lump in her throat. To think of that made her step back and her back collided with the edge of the row of lockers. He looked friendly but she knew better than most that looks could be deceiving.

He turned back to her and smiled, holding his hand out. "I'm Troy."

She shook the hand hesitantly and nodded in recognition. "I'm G-Gabriella."

"It's nice to meet you. Do you have Ms Darbus for homeroom?" Troy enquired.

Gabriella nodded timidly. "Y-Yeah."

"That's cool. I better go. My friends can get pretty impatient. I hope you have a good first day." He smiles down at her and jogs into the classroom and bump knuckles with the guy with the afro.

Gabriella took a deep breath and walked into the classroom. She handed her papers over to Ms Darbus. "I'm Gabriella." She mumbled.

Ms Darbus nodded. "I'm Ms Darbus. There's a spare seat at the front, just here." She gestured to the desk next to where Troy was standing.

Gabriella nodded and shuffled over to the desk pointed out by Ms Darbus. "Uh, excuse m-me." She mumbled to Troy.

He turned to her and smiled. "I should've known you'd have to sit next to me."

She bit her lip slightly. "Can I sit down now?"

Troy stepped out of the way. "Be my guest."

Gabriella sat down and set her folder on the desk. She bent down and pulled her book 'The Rescue' by Nicholas Sparks out of her bag. When she was thirteen – with her fifth foster family – she had received it as a birthday present and had fallen in love with it. Not that something like what happened to Denise would happen to her. It was more than unlikely that she would be rescued…because she didn't deserve it. Finding a guy who would do anything for her would provide her with a possible happiness.

The bell rang and everyone slid reluctantly into their seats. Troy's hand brushed against her cheek and she flinched. "Sorry." He muttered as he sat down and leaned back in his chair.

She glanced across at him as she shut her book. "It doesn't matter."

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Taylor tugged on Gabriella's hand. "Come on. The gym's this way."

Gabriella sighed and adjusted her bag. "T-Tay, w-were your friends m-mad at me?"

Taylor paused outside of the gym doors. She was in her gym uniform: a red t-shirt and white shorts. She turned to Gabriella and shook her head. "No. I've had so many foster brothers and sister that they get used to it. Sharpay was…slightly annoyed and impatient because you're our age but she's not going to force you to talk to them. Don't worry about it."

Gabriella nodded. "She was the blonde one, right?"

Taylor nodded. "Yeah. Ryan – the only guy – is her twin brother. Martha – the brunette – is his girlfriend and Kelsi is the girl with glasses."

Gabriella sighed softly. "Will you apologise for me?"

Taylor smiled. "Sure, I can."

The door to their right – the guys' locker – opened and four guys, Troy included, entered the hallway and began pushing and shoving each other around. The guy with the afro suddenly stopped and glared at Taylor. "McKessie."

"Danforth, be polite and introduce yourself to Gabriella." Taylor muttered, pretending to be interested in her nails.

"Another nerd at East High? Maybe I should just transfer to West." Chad grumbled and entered the gym.

Gabriella cowered back behind Taylor and watched as another African-American boy with neater hair and a white guy with black hair followed Chad. "West?" She whispered.

"West High." Troy explained, finally speaking up. He was in his own gym uniform of a white t-shirt and red shorts. "The East High rivals. Do yourself a favour and don't take any notice of him. I don't and I doubt Taylor does."

Gabriella looked at Taylor but stayed in her cowered position. "Why is he like th-that?"

"He was dropped while he was a baby. I don't know. But, don't listen to him. You're not a nerd." He smiled softly and then went into the gym.

"Troy Bolton was just nice to you." Taylor muttered.

"Is th-that b-bad?" Gabriella asked shakily.

"I don't know." Taylor admitted. "I mean, he's not mean like Danforth but he just hasn't been nice like that before." She seemed to ponder the concept for a minute. "Come on." She pulled Gabriella into the gym. She walked over to a man with a whistle and clipboard and Gabriella noticed how he had the same blue eyes as Troy. "Good Afternoon, Coach Bolton."

"Miss McKessie, what can I help you with?" Coach Bolton asked.

"Give me permission to kill Danforth with those dumbbells?" Taylor asked excitedly.

Coach Bolton chuckled. "He's one of my best players. Who's this?" He looked at Gabriella.

"Coach Bolton, this is Gabriella Montez, my new foster sister. Gabriella, this is Coach Bolton, Troy's father." Taylor introduced.

"Oh, Miss Montez, welcome to East High. Am I right in assuming that you're excused this week?" Coach Bolton asked.

Gabriella nodded timidly. "I-If that's okay."

Coach Bolton chuckled. "That's fine. Could you do me a favour though?"

"Coach Bolton, could I talk to you?" Taylor asked. "Gabriella, you can go and sit on the bleachers."

Gabriella licked her lips. "Okay." She whispered as she wandered over to the bleachers.

Taylor sighed as she turned to Coach Bolton. "Don't ask her to do anything, I beg you. She's the most fragile girl I've ever met. Don't ask anything of her. Let her be."

Coach Bolton looked over to the bleachers to see her already absorbed in a book. He looked back to – not one of the best but – one of his nicest students. "Sure. Please warn me if I'm going too far. I mean, my wife says that both Troy and I don't pay enough attention."

Taylor sighed and looked towards Gabriella. "Of course. I wouldn't let anything hurt her. She's already like my sister."


	3. Down in the Library

**A/N: Right, HSMandChelseaFCfan has sent me chapter 7 of 'Troy and Gabriella' but I was writing this but I promise I'll finish it tomorrow :) Ummmmm...basically, tell me what you think :D Don't own HSM x

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Chapter 2 – Down in the library

Throughout Gabriella's first week at East High, she had grown close to Taylor – they shared every class except Taylor took German instead of Spanish. She was grateful that Taylor and her friends understood and Taylor had sacrificed hanging out with them to hang out with Gabriella instead. Taylor was probably the sweetest girl Gabriella had ever met and with her experience with foster children, she knew not to push Gabriella into anything. She treated the young brunette like a little sister and was forever protecting her from comments people had already started sending her way because of her intelligence and stutter.

Hanging out was usually doing homework together and while they were doing homework, they barely talked. But, it was nice. So were Diane and Harry. They both treated her like another daughter and Gabriella soon started to spend time with them in the evenings after dinner instead of retreating to her room like she did the first couple of days. Taylor had soon convinced her to go downstairs – even if she silently curled up on the couch with her book.

Now that it was Saturday, Gabriella was more than comfortable with helping Diane make breakfast. "I l-like th-this." Gabriella confessed as she flipped some bacon over in a frying pan.

"Me too, Gabriella." Diane smiled.

Taylor lifted her head from her book. She was sitting at the island next to Harry, reading 'Wuthering Heights' by Emily Bronte. "Just to warn you, I usually go out with my friends today. But, we can go and get some ice cream or something, if you want."

"N-No." Gabriella whispered as she turned the hob off and scooped the bacon onto each of the four plates.

"What?" Taylor whispered.

Gabriella set the pan down and sighed as she stared down at the counter. "T-Tay, its sweet and a-all, b-but you've bl-blown them off ev-veryday for m-me."

"It doesn't matter." Taylor exclaimed. "It's nice being around someone who's quiet. My friends – even Kelsi – can get a little excitable."

Gabriella stepped aside so that Diane could scoop some scrambled eggs onto the plates. She turned to Taylor and then averted her gaze to her slipper clad feet. "I d-don't m-mind." She whispered.

Taylor closed her book and shrugged. "What would you do all day?"

Gabriella lifted her head to see Taylor, Harry and Diane looking at her questioningly. "W-Well, I w-was going to g-go to the lib-brary. If th-that's okay." She whispered.

Taylor nodded. "Well, sure it is. Are you sure, though? My friends honestly don't mind. In fact, they're grateful. I've moaning about Danforth to them for years and now that I'm with you, they don't have to listen to me." She giggled quietly.

Gabriella shrugged. "I-I really w-want to go to the li-library. S-Spend some t-time w-with your f-friends."

Diane took a deep breath. "Tay, I think Gabriella just wants some time by herself." She looked to the Latina girl beside her. "Is that what it is?"

Gabriella nodded. "Y-Yeah. I m-mean I'm n-not used t-to having a…" She swallowed and looked at Taylor who nodded slightly, "a friend."

Diane kissed her forehead. "You do whatever you feel comfortable with, okay?"

Gabriella nodded and picked up two plates. She placed one in front of Harry and one in front of herself as she sat down. "I was p-planning on g-getting s-some home-w-work d-done there."

Diane smiled as she walked over with the remaining two plates. She set one in front of Taylor and then sat down with the last one next to Gabriella. "That's fine."

Harry looked over at Taylor and then at Gabriella. "You know, I understand Gabriella having so much intelligence and craving for getting schoolwork done…" He turned to Taylor, "What's your excuse?"

Taylor smiled sarcastically as she began cutting up her bacon. "My excuse is that I want to study political sciences at Yale – one of the hardest classes to get in at one of the hardest schools to get into. Makes sense to study."

Gabriella managed a small smile. "Y-You want t-to go to Y-Yale?"

Taylor nodded as she swallowed some eggs. "That's right. Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut."

"That's c-cool. You'll g-get in." Gabriella whispered as she looked back down at her breakfast.

"I hope so." Taylor muttered.

"What are you planning to do for college?" Harry asked with interest.

Gabriella had trouble swallowing a tiny mouthful of bacon but forced it down anyway. She set her knife and fork down neatly by the side of her plate which was still full of bacon and scrambled eggs. Diane always cooked plenty of food, ignoring Gabriella when she said that she didn't have a big appetite. Diane still cooked the same large amount of food, saying that she wanted Gabriella to have the option to eat the food if she was hungry. She never did.

Gabriella picked up a napkin and wiped her mouth delicately before she folded it and set it with her cutlery. "I'm s-sorry I can't f-finish this. I'm g-going to go and…g-get ready to g-go." She leapt to her feet and rushed up the stairs towards the guest bedroom which she had now claimed.

She clicked the door shut softly behind – she didn't need to, she'd be happy to slam the door, it was the cause of an old and very sick habit she had picked up when she was five. She turned around and let her eyes graze over the room. The walls were painted a warm shade of green – a colour which would appeal to both girls and boys. Since Gabriella was the oldest foster child the McKessie's had ever had, Diane had especially – much to Gabriella's weak protests – gone out and bought some paintings of pale blue and lilac flowers.

Her closet was small – foster children, no matter their age, never had many clothes – but Gabriella thought it was perfect. Her desk, next to her balcony doors, had a reading lamp, Harry's old laptop – which he claimed wasn't very fast but Gabriella didn't care, a few school books and few personal papers on it.

She forced her eyes to land on her bed and she sighed. She still had the nightmares. But, she hadn't been screaming since Diane had woken her up so Diane had incorrectly assumed that the nightmares had stopped. Gabriella knew better. She knew that no matter how much she appreciated the room and – she dreaded to think it – liked it, she would always have nightmares. As long as she was able to close her eyes and sleep, her nightmares would always come.

She walked over to her desk, shaking her thoughts away. She sat down in a second-hand desk chair and pulled the top drawer open. She pushed her small make-up bag aside and pulled out a small pink metal tin. She set it on her desk and ran her fingers over the lid.

She opened it up and took a deep breath, painfully shutting her eyes which were welling with tears. Her eyelids fluttered open and she reached in to bring out a creased and faded picture. A small girl, around three years old, with black hair and naturally tanned skin and high cheek bones was on the hip of an older woman with exactly the same features.

Gabriella kissed the picture before she set it down and stared at the tin. She reached in and pulled out a folded piece of paper. She unfolded it and sighed. "Stanford University." She whispered. "The school of my dreams."

_Dreams don't come true in this world!_

The harsh comment made her involuntarily wince at the painful memory. She didn't deserve to have dreams, much less have them come true. She'd never go to Stanford or be a doctor. She'd never be able to help people like she wanted to. She'd never find a guy who would love her despite her past. She'd never have children – of course that wasn't only dependent on whether a guy would like her…

Meeting a nice guy, having children and being a doctor were all unrealistic dreams that belonged in someone else's fairytale life.

The only fairytales and happy endings in her life was the ones she read about in books.

* * *

Gabriella sighed as she flexed her fingers, relieving the stiffness from her muscles. Albuquerque library was maybe the largest library she had ever seen – and she'd seen a lot of libraries. But, it was also quiet and it had so many books! It was like…a dream come true. There were so many books and it was granted that approximately half of the books were non-fiction and approximately twenty percent of the fiction books were children's. But, that still left about forty percent, on average, of the total books that she could escape in.

It was so tempting.

But, as always, she fought the temptation. She learnt way before she was a foster child that fighting temptation was a key skill for survival. And, although she did read books, she didn't treat them like an escape. She treated them as fake hope. It gave her hope that she could have a good and enjoyable life…and then reality came crashing down and she figured that hoping for a good life just wasn't practical.

"Gabriella?" A voice whispered.

Gabriella lifted her head and inhaled sharply. She was sat on the floor in one of the aisles which was out of the way. A notebook was open in her lap and books were spread out in front of her. She had been hoping that nobody would find her…it seemed that that theory was out the window now. "T-Troy?" She whispered.

Troy Bolton nodded and smiled. "Can I sit with you here?"

Gabriella nodded mutely as she shuffled some of her books around. "S-Sure."

Troy sat down next to her – both of their back were against the wall – and Troy looked down at her as she returned her attention back to her books again. "Why are you here?"

"W-What?" She asked, startled and she released an involuntary whimper at the familiar words. Her breathing quickened and her panic-stricken eyes flashed across his face.

Troy's face fell. "I didn't mean that badly. I just wondered why you were here and not out there on a table."

"Oh." Gabriella whispered as a blush steadily appeared in her cheeks. She looked back to her books and sighed. "I-I guess I'm j-just m-more comfort-table when p-people c-can't see m-me." She admitted quietly.

"Oh." Troy muttered. "What are you doing?"

"I-I spent an hour d-doing the rep-port for history and now I-I'm d-doing the m-math ho-homework." She replied.

Troy nodded. "You've already done the history paper in an hour? I won't be able to do it in a day!"

Gabriella felt the corners of her mouth tug into the smallest of smiles but she kept her head bowed. She had wrongly assumed that being in the presence of Troy Bolton – who was the most popular guy in school and a jock who was never to communicate with a nerd – would've been awkward. However, she seemed almost as at ease as when she was with Taylor.

'Almost' being the operative word.

"Hey!" He exclaimed in a hushed voice. "Are you making fun of me, Miss Montez?"

Gabriella shook her head. "I w-wouldn't ever." She whispered as she timidly lifted her head. "Y-You were incred-dibly smart i-in history y-yesterd-day."

"You think?" He asked unsurely.

Gabriella nodded slightly. "I th-thought s-so."

Troy chuckled slightly. "Mr Benson didn't think so." He sighed as he opened his notebook. "Where's Taylor today? I was thinking you two were joined at the hip this past week." He joked.

"Oh," Gabriella whispered as she swallowed nervously, "I'm, um, h-her f-foster sist-ter."

"Really?" Troy asked with surprise.

"Y-You s-sound surprised." She whispered.

Troy nodded sheepishly. "I just didn't think such a beautiful and intelligent girl would be a foster child." His eyes widened and he began to stutter in embarrassment. "I mean, not that I imagined foster children being ugly and dumb, but I…you didn't seem like…it's just that…I'm going to stop talking." He decided as he looked down at his book.

Gabriella bit her lip. "Y-You s-sound like m-me."

"What?" Troy asked, turning back to her.

"Y-You were st-stuttering. I-I th-though i-it was s-sweet." She admitted bashfully.

Troy smiled brightly at her. "It makes you sound cute."

"Th-Thanks." She mumbled. "Y-You're n-nice…you kn-know, for a j-jock and a-all."

Troy chuckled softly. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"Wh-What's the d-deal with Ch-Chad and T-Tay?" Gabriella asked quietly. "If y-you d-don't mind m-me asking."

Troy sighed. "I'll tell you what's up with them: they're so damn in love with each other that they blatantly insult each other."

"Th-That doesn't m-make s-sense." Gabriella mumbled.

Troy laughed softly. "I know that, and you obviously know that. You want to be the one to tell them they're in love with each other?"

"Th-They d-don't know?" Gabriella gasped.

Troy raised his eyebrows. "Oh, they know. Getting them to admit it, however, is a much different case. Chad hasn't even told me and we tell each other everything."

"S-So, how d-do you kn-know they l-love each oth-ther?" Gabriella asked in confusion.

Troy shook his head in dismay. "It's so obvious in their eyes. But, they're so proud that…well, they've been denying it for years. And Chad likes the status quo to be in check."

Gabriella felt her face fall. "Th-Then why are y-you t-talking to m-me?"

Troy looked deeply into her chocolate eyes and she shivered under his gaze. "Because I want to. Besides, I'm hiding from my friends. They'd never think to check the library."

Gabriella forced a tiny smile. "S-Sounds ab-bout right. I d-didn't th-think j-jock knew wh-what a libr-brary was." She joked weakly.

"Gabriella, you're not so bad once you loosen up." Troy said softly.

"Wh-What d-do you m-mean?" She whispered. Her smile fell and looked pleadingly into Troy's eyes.

"You seemed reluctant before. You're a really sweet and charming girl when you let go a little bit." Troy admired.

Gabriella bowed her head and sighed. "The last time I let go, I nearly drowned." She whispered, hoping Troy didn't hear.

"What?" Troy asked. "I didn't hear."

Gabriella shrugged. "Nothing." She muttered. "It was nothing."

"So, um, how are you finding East High?" He asked awkwardly.

"P-People are pr-pretty harsh." Gabriella murmured.

"Harsh?" Troy asked, lifting Gabriella's head with two fingers under her chin. "What do you mean by 'harsh'?"

Gabriella shrugged slightly, her eyes flashing with fear. "W-Well, um, I-I'm surprised y-you haven't heard."

"Heard what?" He demanded quietly.

"W-Well, p-people are saying th-that my p-parents g-got rid of m-me and th-that anyone w-would be gl-glad to get rid of m-me b-because of my st-stutter. Th-They make f-fun of m-me b-because I-I'm a n-nerd and my st-stutter." She explained fearfully. "Pl-Please d-don't hurt m-me." She whimpered.

"What?" Troy whispered. "Hey, first of all: I said that you weren't a nerd and never will be to me. You're smart and that's amazing. It just means that you'll get into a good college when they don't." He ghosted his thumb over her left cheek and felt her flinch under his touch. "Second of all: who says I'm going to hurt you. Do you really think I'm that superficial that I live up to the stereotype of a jock being a bully?"

Gabriella stared at him for a moment and sighed as she looked away. "I'm sorry." She closed her eyes as she murmured the words. That was the one statement she could say without stuttering. _Practice makes perfect._

"Why are you sorry?" Troy asked softly, staring at the side of her face as she concentrated on her lap.

She let her lip tremble but soon steadied it. "I d-don't kn-know." She admitted. "I th-though y-you were m-mad at me because of wh-what I said ab-bout you being a j-jock."

Troy chuckled lifelessly. "Listen, why are you getting so worked up?"

Gabriella looked up at him pitifully before she started closing all of her books. "I have to go."

"Wait, Gabriella-" Troy started desperately.

She gathered her books into her arms and got to her feet. "I'm sorry."


	4. Friends

**A/N: I liked this chapter. I hope you do too :) Don't own HSM x

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Chapter 3 – Friends

Following Gabriella's encounter with Troy, she had spent Sunday with Taylor watching movies in Taylor's bedroom. She had not confessed to Taylor what had happened in the library and she hadn't dwelled on it at all. She didn't want to get roped into some jock thing that would almost certainly end up badly. She assumed that Troy would simply forget about it and go back to basketball.

Her friendship – which was verging on sisterhood – with Taylor was getting strong but, although Gabriella felt somewhat safe and at ease around the African-American, she hadn't opened up about _anything_. To her knowledge, the only people who knew anything about her past was Harry and Diane and even then it was only part of it.

"Tay," Gabriella whispered as they continued their journey to school on Monday, "C-Can I-I meet your fr-friends to-tod-day?"

"You want to meet my friends?" Taylor asked unsurely. "The last I heard, you didn't want to."

"I-I was th-thinking ab-bout it. I w-want t-to meet them. I'm n-not pr-promising th-that I'll be th-their best fr-riend. B-But, I w-want to m-meet them." She shrugged self-consciously. "I-If that's o-okay, of c-course." She added hurriedly.

Taylor laughed. "Of course it is. I can only imagine what you've been through but you don't have to ask, I promise."

Gabriella shook her head. "I-I'd rather…I-I'd r-rather a-ask."

Taylor wrapped an arm around Gabriella's shoulders and sighed when she felt her flinch. "You'll be fine. And ignore those kids at school, okay?"

"Wh-What i-if they're right, th-though?" Gabriella asked quietly, staring at her feet as she walked along the sidewalk.

"About…"

"M-My parents b-being lucky to g-get rid of m-me." She whimpered before she broke from Taylor's arm and sprinted towards East High. She pushed her way through the crowded hallways, wanting to get to her locker as fast as possible.

She groaned when she walked into someone and two strong, muscular arms prevented her from falling. "Hey, what's wrong?" A familiar voice asked.

She groaned again. She looked up at Troy. "I-It's nothing."

He raised an eyebrow. "Nothing?" He asked slowly, his hands still softly resting on her waist.

She shook her head and looked down at his hands. "Pl-Please let m-me g-go."

"No." He said strongly. "You're coming with me." He said determinedly as he grabbed her hand and pulled her down the corridor. "I'm not going to hurt you." He promised as he entered the empty cafeteria and followed the stairs up to the second balcony. He opened a yellow door and gestured to it. "Go on." He whispered.

She shook her head fearfully and stepped away, though Troy refused to let her hand go. "I-I don't w-want t-to."

"Please?" Troy stepped forward and brushed his lips over her forehead. "For me?" He whispered into her hair.

Gabriella stepped away and licked her lips. "Wh-Where are w-we going?"

"You're claustrophobic, right?" He asked.

"No." She answered truthfully.

"Well, you hate crowds?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded timidly. "I gu-guess."

"Then trust me." Troy whispered. "Come on." He tugged on her hand and sighed. "Please?"

Gabriella tugged her hand out of his and adjusted her backpack. "Wh-What if I-I say n-no?"

Troy shrugged. "Then, I'll let you go. You can go to the library or wherever you want. I just thought you might like this." He looked into her eyes and stepped closer again. "And I wanted to see you again."

"Why?" Gabriella whispered.

Troy shrugged. "There's something about you…Something I like. Come on." He hesitantly took her hand and raised his eyebrows. "Please don't walk away from me."

Gabriella finally nodded. "O-Okay."

Troy smiled brightly and began leading her up the stairs. He paused about four steps from the top. "Go on." He whispered.

Gabriella nodded timidly and slowly climbed the remaining steps. She smiled stared around in amazement at the pale blue skies and bright flowers surrounding her. She was on the roof of the school. A wooden bench was at the far end and even with the highway only outside the school, it was amazingly quiet. She dropped her bag to the floor and released a breathless giggle. "Wow."

"You like it?" Troy asked from behind her.

Instead of jumping she had expected to do, she slowly turned around and nodded. "I-I love i-it."

"Good." He shrugged and waved his arms around. "It's yours."

"What?" She squeaked, stepping backwards.

"Come here all you want. No one does. Well, the gardening club does but only Tuesdays and Thursdays during lunch." Troy explained.

"A-And y-you?" She stuttered.

He shrugged. "I came here because I figured it was a good place to think."

She nodded with understanding. "This pl-place is am-mazing."

Troy smiled as he watched her sit on the bench and then she brought her knees up to her chest. "Well, I figured you'd like it."

She nodded. "Y-Yeah."

He walked over and sat next to her, leaving a small gap between them. "You know on Saturday?"

She hugged her knees even tighter and stared out at the Albuquerque landscape before her. "Wh-What ab-bout it?"

"Are you mad at me?" Troy asked quietly, staring at the side of her face.

Gabriella shook her head. "N-No."

"Then why'd you leave?" He asked softly.

"I-It felt l-like the r-right thing t-to do." She muttered.

He sighed. "I touched a sore subject, didn't I?"

Gabriella lifted her head in surprise. "What?"

"Did I?" He asked.

She shrugged silently and dropped her gaze to the ground. "I-I guess i-it's difficult f-for me t-to talk t-to people."

Troy nodded and sighed softly. "So, I know what you mean about everyone saying those things."

"Yeah?" She murmured.

He nodded. "I heard it all this morning. I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "I-It's not y-your f-fault."

"Can I ask you something?" Troy asked quietly, brushing some of her hair behind her ear.

Gabriella nodded slowly. "O-Okay."

"You don't have to answer, I'm just curious. Why do you stutter?" Troy asked quietly, bracing himself for her reaction.

Gabriella sighed softly. "Th-They've tr-tried everything. Sp-Speech th-therapists, d-doctors, c-counsellors, psychologists… I-I just d-do."

Troy nodded. "Right. Is it because I'm popular or is it everyone?"

"Wh-What do y-you mean?" She asked, turning her gaze to him.

"You act like you hate me and I wondered whether it was me or if it was everyone." He explained.

"L-Like I s-said, I find i-it hard to t-talk to p-people." She mumbled.

Troy stared at her for a while. "It shouldn't be. You know, you'll get ill, right?"

"Wh-What do y-you mean?" She whimpered.

"Please don't assume that you're the only one with a fucked up life." Troy mumbled.

* * *

Troy's words had been bugging Gabriella all morning and she had been distracted through each lesson – although, nobody noticed since she hardly spoke anyway. Although Troy had been in every one of her classes, he had avoided her at all costs and wouldn't even glance her way.

Taylor was the only one who noticed Gabriella's change in herself but had put it down to nervousness with meeting her friends. She had been reassuring her all morning but Gabriella hardly listened, concentrating on the possible implications of his statement. There were so many possibilities. But, if Troy Bolton's life was 'fucked up', was it as bad as hers?

She honestly doubted it.

"W-Will they l-like m-me?" Gabriella asked as she and Taylor paused their walk.

Taylor nodded. "Of course they will, Silly. You'll be fine."

"Y-You pr-promise?" Gabriella whispered.

"I promise." Taylor replied. "You ready?"

Gabriella nodded. "Yeah."

Taylor smiled encouragingly and began leading the way towards the table where her friends sat. She set her tray down and took a seat. "Sit down, Gabriella."

Gabriella obeyed and looked nervously at the four people staring at her. "H-Hey." She muttered, staring at her tray of food.

"Guys, this is Gabriella, my foster sister. Gabriella, these are my friends." Taylor introduced. "That's Sharpay, the drama queen." She pointed to the blonde girl she was sitting next to. "That's Ryan, Shar's twin brother." She gestured to the only guy at the table. "That's Martha, Ryan's girlfriend. She gets teased a lot because she's a 'nerd' that likes hip hop." Taylor explained as a curvy brunette who was sat next to Ryan rolled her eyes. "And, that's Kelsi. She's the greatest composer you'll ever meet." She smiled warmly at a petite, auburn haired girl with glasses.

"Tay…" Kelsi mumbled, blushing slightly.

Gabriella smiled faintly. Kelsi was obviously another shy girl and she knew she could form an easy friendship with her. "H-Hey. I-I'm Gab-by."

Taylor smiled slightly. "Gabby? I was scared to call you that."

She shook her head. "I-I l-like the n-name."

"So, Gabby," Ryan spoke her name uncertainly, "where did you come from?"

"W-Well," Gabriella swallowed nervously, "I-I came h-here from Gl-Glenwood."

"That's cool. Do you like it here in Albuquerque?" Sharpay enquired.

Gabriella nodded timidly. "Y-Yeah. It's n-nice and qu-quiet. A-And I-I have T-Tay." She smiled at Taylor.

Taylor nodded. "Yeah. Gabby is very shy and quiet, so no compulsory shopping sprees." She looked pointedly at Sharpay.

Sharpay frowned. "What?"

"Lay off of her, okay?" Taylor spoke slowly.

Sharpay rolled her eyes. "One time."

Taylor shook her head. "Anyway, Gabby, if you ever need anything, you can ask these dimwits."

"Gee, thanks." Martha muttered.

Gabriella giggled slightly. "Um, th-this m-might sound a l-little odd, but i-is there s-someth-thing wr-wrong wi-with Tr-Troy Bolton?" She whispered in embarrassment.

"Um…" Ryan started in confusion. "Apart from being a jock…not really. Why?"

Gabriella shook her head and took a sip from her orange juice. "I-It's n-nothing. Forget I-I said an-anything."

"You sure?" Taylor asked uncertainly.

Gabriella nodded. "Pl-Please may I-I be ex-excused?" She whispered, looking at her tray of un-eaten food.

"You okay, Gabby?" Taylor asked worriedly.

Gabriella nodded. "I-I'm fine. I-I'll see y-you in English, r-right?"

Taylor nodded. "Of course."

Gabriella got to her feet and picked her tray up. She dumped her leftover food in the trash and rushed out of the cafeteria. During her first week at East High, she had confessed that she was a pianist and, when she found a piano she could use, she would play her favourite song. Taylor had shown her the music room and had promised that whenever she wanted to use the piano, she would ask Kelsi not to go in there.

Gabriella pushed the door open and sighed. Taylor's friends seemed incredibly nice but, at the end of the day, she was already pushing her luck. She liked Albuquerque. She liked Harry and Diane. She liked Taylor.

She had a friend.

She had promised herself she would never have a friend because she didn't deserve it. The only reason she deserved to live was to suffer. She didn't need friends and she didn't want them. Taylor just kind of happened. She was so sweet and with her experience with foster children, she understood not to push her into anything.

She felt like she had some freedom.

She'd never be totally free, though. She pondered how much she could test this freedom before it collapsed and she was trapped again. Her feet moved robotically towards the piano and she sat down on the wooden stool. Her fingers rested instinctively in place and a sigh escaped her lips. Her eyes stung with tears and her eyelids fluttered closed.

Her mother had been proudly Spanish and had sung to her every night until her fourth birthday. She never missed a night, even when she was sick. Her mother and father had gotten married in Spain and then moved to America as soon as They had found out Gabriella was on the way.

Her fingers glided effortlessly across the ivory keys and she began singing in a voice as soft as a whisper. She'd never sang in front of people before and didn't plan on starting now. It was just a healthy way to express herself which Mrs Thompson had persuaded her to try.

_A la nanita nana nanita ella nanita ella  
Mi niña tiene sueno bendito sea, bendito sea_

Her mother's voice drifted into her head. As lacking as her memories were of her mother, her voice was perfectly clear. She had been in the choir a church whilst growing up and it had paid off, giving her an angelic voice which Gabriella dreamt of having.

_Fuentecita que corre clara y Sonora  
Ruiseñor que en la selva cantando llora  
Calla mientras la cuna se balansea  
A la nanita nana, nanita ella_

She hadn't completely understood what had happened until latter years but when she four, she knew only one thing: her momma left and wasn't coming back. She was heartbroken and terrified. She had been the spitting image of her mother and had always been in her shadow. Where her mother was, Gabriella wasn't far away.

_A la nanita nana nanita ella nanita ella  
Mi niña tiene sueno bendito sea, bendito sea_

The following time without her mother brought back an all too familiar pain. She had learnt how to control physical pain and mental pain which came from the bullying and torment she received. She became numb, so to speak, to it. The loss of her mother was the pain she couldn't control.

_Fuentecita que corre clara y Sonora  
Ruiseñor que en la selva cantando llora  
Calla mientras la cuna se balansea  
A la nanita nana, nanita ella_

Her voice trailed off and her hands stilled on the piano. "Te quiero, Momma."

"Wow."

Gabriella jumped and turned around to see Troy stood, leaning against the doorframe. "H-How much d-did y-you hear?"

"Enough." He replied as he shut the door and dropped his bag to the floor.

She sighed and felt a steady blush rise in her cheeks. "Pl-Please d-don't tell p-people."

"Why not?" He exclaimed as he strode over and pulled up a nearby chair.

"Pl-Please?" She whispered, lifting her gaze to his.

He sighed and nodded. "I promise I won't. But, you should everyone to know. That was beautiful. Was it…Italian?"

"Spanish." She whispered.

He chuckled nervously. "That tells me to pay more attention in class."

She giggled. "Y-You don't t-take Sp-Spanish, though."

"That would explain why I don't know any." He joked as he winked at her. "Where did you learn it?"

She hesitated and her smile faltered. "M-My Momma used t-to sing i-it to m-me when I-I was a l-little girl."

Troy smiled slightly. "Was she a good singer?"

Gabriella nodded fervently. "Like y-you w-wouldn't believe." She whispered.

"What does it mean?" Troy enquired.

"Th-The s-song?" Gabriella asked softly.

Troy nodded. "Yeah. What does it mean?"

"W-Well, without th-the repitions, i-it means: to the l-little nanny, n-nanny, l-little nanny sh-she little n-nanny she, m-my ch-child is sl-sleepy, blessed b-be, bl-blessed be, little st-stream that r-runs clear a-and loud nightingale th-that in the j-jungle s-sings sadly, hush, a-as the c-cradle rocks." Gabriella smiled softly as she explained. "My M-Momma u-used to s-sing it to m-me every night."

Troy eyed her and touched her hand, noticing how violently she flinched. "If you don't mind my asking, where is she?"

Gabriella surprisingly smiled at the question. "S-Somewhere th-that w-we all dream of. Sh-She's in h-heaven."

"You're not sad about it?" Troy asked suspiciously.

She nodded reluctantly. "O-Of c-course I am. B-But, I d-don't want h-her to have su-suffered."

Troy frowned. "You haven't been to the rooftop garden since this morning."

Gabriella shook her head and allowed his fingers to intertwine with hers. "I-I though th-that maybe you'd l-like some sp-space." She paused slightly before letting her lip quiver. "A-And I-I know I'm n-not the on-only one w-with a fucked u-up l-life. I've s-seen m-more foster children fr-from broken h-homes th-than you can i-imagine. Wh-When people notice m-my sh-shyness a-and st-stutter, th-they assume I-I'm being m-melodramatic. B-But, I'm n-not. I-I hoped y-you'd be d-different." She whispered, looking at their hands.

Troy lifted her hand and kissed her fingers. "Please don't get mad at me. You might be the one person who can help me."

Gabriella lifted her gaze and gave him a confused look. "I-I'm not m-mad. But, pl-please d-don't think that y-you kn-know me."

Troy kissed her hand again. "I don't." He whispered. "But, please let me be your friend."

For the first time in ten years, a tear glided down her cheek and she flinched when he reached over to brush it away. "Fr-Friends? W-With you?"

Troy nodded. "And please don't flinch when I touch you." He whispered.

Gabriella finally nodded. "I'll b-be your fr-friend."


	5. Trust me

**A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates. I've had coursework and I've been so busy. But, I finish school on Friday (well, for two weeks) but I've still got maths and science coursework to do (oh, the joys) So, updates will be few and far between. Just a warner. Don't own HSM x

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Chapter 4 – Trust me

Gabriella had never, ever been an optimist, despite persuasion from her past foster families and Mrs Thompson. But, she had a good feeling about Albuquerque. She had friends. Something she never expected…and something she didn't deserve. Her nightmares were getting worse, taunting her about how she was beginning to feel happy…

Troy seemed caring and sweet and nice…and obviously troubled by something. Just the fact that he assumed that she thought she was the only one with a messed up life suggested that he thought about other people's lives just like she did. For some unknown reason, she craved to talk to him about whatever caused him to view his life as 'messed up'.

"T-Tay, are y-you sure w-we h-have to wear shorts?" Gabriella asked uncertainly as she looked embarrassingly at her legs.

Taylor shut her gym locker and nodded. "Yeah. We do. What's bothering you?"

Gabriella tugged at white material and cringed. "Tay, I-I look horrib-ble. P-People are g-going to figure s-someth-thing out."

Taylor sighed. "Honey, I don't know the details of your childhood but all I can say is to ignore them."

"T-Tay, what w-would you say if I-I was fr-friends with Tr-Troy?" Gabriella mumbled as she tugged on her shorts again.

"Bolton?" Taylor asked unsurely as they made their way out of the changing rooms.

Gabriella nodded timidly. "Y-Yeah."

"Hmmm." Taylor paused outside of the gym. "Well, he has expressed several human qualities, something that Danforth never has. I suggest that you don't get close to him straight away. I mean, he's fairly good friends with Kelsi because they're next door neighbours and Danforth's given up trying to separate them. Just be careful."

Gabriella nodded. "R-Right."

The boys' changing room door open and a bunch of jocks exited. They past Taylor and Gabriella and whistled at Gabriella. Taylor glared fiercely. "This is why you don't get dates." She growled, making them all rush into the gym.

Gabriella released a weak giggle. "Wh-Why do I h-have the f-feel-ling th-this is a really b-bad id-dea?"

"They're jocks. Ignore them, okay? And don't worry. Your legs look fine." Taylor assured her.

Gabriella finally nodded. "Okay." She allowed Taylor to lead her into the gym and over to Coach Bolton.

"Hi, Coach Bolton," Taylor began, "What are we doing today?"

"We're carrying on with our block of basketball. Do you have any knowledge of basketball, Gabriella?" Jack asked politely, looking up from his clipboard.

Gabriella shook her head timidly. "N-No, I h-haven-n't."

"Oh, that's okay. I'm going to have everyone play a few warm up games of killer but while that's happening, Troy can run over a few basic rules with you." Jack suggested.

"No!" Taylor exclaimed.

"I-It's okay T-Tay. I-I'll b-be fine." Gabriella mumbled.

"You sure?" Taylor asked in shock.

Gabriella nodded. "I-If I n-need you, I'll find y-you."

Taylor nodded. "Okay." She whispered before turning around and jogging over to Sharpay.

"Troy!" Jack waved his son over who had just entered the gym.

Troy jogged over and smiled at Gabriella. "Hey, Gabriella." He turned to Jack and shrugged. "What's up?"

"Everyone else will be warming up with a few games of killer, will you be so kind as to teach Gabriella a few basic rules of basketball?" Jack asked.

Troy turned to Gabriella and nodded. "Sure."

Troy was helping her with basketball. He was a guy…A strong guy, judging from the muscles flexing beneath the sleeves of his white PE t-shirt. She should be nervous – exactly how she was around any man. But, he said they were friends. And she was beginning to believe him. He was a very kind and considerate boy who was nice to everyone and acknowledged everyone who greeted him. But, there was something in his smile when he looked at her…Something that reassured her that he wasn't going to hurt her.

She believed it.

Gabriella smiled slightly and followed Troy to the other end of the gym. He jogged ahead to get a basketball from the rack and dribbled it back to Gabriella. She giggled as he spun the ball on the tip of his finger, "A-Are you sh-showing off?"

"Could be." He shrugged. "Depends on whether you're impressed by it."

"C-Could b-be." She muttered back.

He chuckled and bounced the ball a couple of times. "So, you don't know how to play?"

Gabriella shook her head. "No." She whispered.

"Well, I'll only teach you the basics. It's only the basketball team who knows the full rules." Troy explained.

She nodded and tugged self-consciously at her shorts again. "O-Okay."

"Well, the first thing you need to know is that you can't double dribble." Troy explained. "Keep dribbling until you're going to pass the ball or shoot. Got it?"

Gabriella nodded. "O-Okay."

"So, that's pretty much the simplest rule out there. Now, it's the three-second rule. You see this shape here," He pointed to the keyhole shape around them, "if you shoot from in here, you only have three seconds."

Gabriella looked up at him and licked her lips nervously. "Th-Three seconds?"

Troy nodded. "So basically get in, shoot, and get out again."

"Right." She muttered.

Troy handed the ball to her. "Show me how you shoot."

"Wh-What?" She squeaked.

"Please?" He whispered.

She bowed her head, shaking it at the same time. "N-No, th-that's not a g-good idea."

"Ella…" He whispered, holding the ball out to her, "Just show me."

She tentatively took the ball and got in position to shoot. She pushed the ball into the air and it bounced off of the rim and she leapt out of the way before it could hit her head. "I-It's not f-funny." She muttered.

Troy held back his smile as Chad threw the ball back over to them and Troy caught it with a practised ease. "Don't worry. No one gets it the first time. I mean, I was six when I shot my first basket."

Gabriella shook her head slightly. "Y-You've been pl-playing basketb-ball your whole l-life. I've n-never held th-the ball b-before!"

He smiled down at her. "I told you I'll teach you, okay? You'll do it. I promise."

She finally nodded. "S-So, how d-do y-you do it?"

He smiled broadly and handed her the ball. "Just hold it. If I do something, do you promise not to flinch?" He whispered.

She swallowed nervously and looked down at her the ball in her hands. "I-I c-can't promise that…" She lifted her head and sighed. "B-But, I c-can p-promise I will tr-try."

"That's all I ask." He said softly. "Face the hoop." He ordered softly.

Gabriella faced the hoop again and inhaled shakily. "Y-You s-said we're friends, r-right?" She whispered.

Troy stood behind her and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Yeah."

"Okay." She muttered.

Troy stepped forward until his chest was just touching her back. "I will never hurt you." He whispered and his breath softly caressed her ear. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his hands over hers on the basketball.

She flinched a little but not as much as the first time he touched her. "You promise?"

"Do you trust me?" Troy asked softly.

Gabriella nodded slightly. "Yeah. I-I d-do."

Troy smiled to himself and raised the basketball into the proper position, his hands still over Gabriella's. He moved her hands until one was underneath and one was on the side. "Tuck your elbow in."

Gabriella furrowed her brow at the strangest sensation which began in her stomach and moved throughout her entire body. She felt warm. And calm. And safe. Troy's body heat radiated into her back and she fought the unfamiliar urge to snuggle further into his embrace.

She moved her elbow into the correct position and breathed shakily. She feared that the slightest move would annoy him and then she would, once again, have screwed everything up. "N-Now wh-what?" She asked nervously.

"Shhh…" Troy soothed softly. "I'm not hurting you. You're doing great. Just relax."

Gabriella took a deep breath and nodded. "O-Okay."

Troy rested his chin on her shoulder and brushed his lips across the skin of her cheek. "I want you to bend your knees and then just jump and shoot. Use the backboard, okay?"

She nodded hesitantly. "I-I won't g-get it i-in, th-though." She whispered.

"You won't know if you don't try." Troy whispered. He released her and stepped back. "If you miss, we'll try again. It doesn't matter."

"You promise?" She whimpered.

"Promise." Troy agreed.

Gabriella bent her knees, jumped and let the ball soar through the air. She watched as it circled the rim a couple of times before falling off again. Gabriella cringed as it hit the floor. "S-See?"

Troy jogged over to pick the ball up and stood in front of her. "Didn't you see it?"

"What?" She asked quietly.

"How close you were!" He exclaimed with a bright smile. "That was so much better."

"I st-still m-missed." She mumbled, looking down.

He stepped forward and lifted her chin with two fingers. "Hey, calm down. Half of these girls won't even try because they're afraid of breaking a nail or just want me to help them. You're trying and you'll get it. I promise."

She looked up and sighed. "Wh-Why are y-you b-being nice t-to me?"

Troy held the ball out to her and shrugged. "I like you," Troy placed a hand on her upper arm and leaned down to her ear, "a lot."

She clutched onto the basketball and her eyes fluttered closed. "Y-You like m-me?"

Troy brushed his lips softly across her temple and nodded. "Yeah."

Gabriella furrowed her brow and dropped the ball to their feet. "I'm sorry." She cried before dashing out of the gym.

Troy looked around in bewilderment before running after her. He halted outside of the girls' locker room and knocked on the door. "Ella?"

There was a crash from inside and a weak yelp.

"Ella, come on, what'd I do?" He exclaimed impatiently.

"Wh-Where's T-Tay?" She asked through the door.

"Well, in class…Where we should be." He replied softly.

"Can I-I t-talk to her?" Gabriella asked timidly.

"Well, sure. My dad won't mind. Are you coming out?" Troy asked in desperation.

"N-No. J-Just get T-Tay, please." She exclaimed.

Troy sighed. "Okay, fine. I'm going." He stepped away from the door and ran into the gym to see the remaining students of the class in the middle of a game of killer. Or, were supposed to be. It seemed that Chad and Taylor had once again started arguing because Taylor was still in the game.

"Taylor!" Troy hollered.

"What?!" She exclaimed angrily.

"It's Ella." He whispered quietly. "I don't know what's wrong but she won't come out of the locker room."

"What?" Taylor exclaimed.

"She won't come out and she's asking for you." Troy explained softly.

"Aww…The little nerd is scared of getting beat." Chad sneered.

Taylor turned around and slapped him. "That's my foster sister. You stay away from her. Don't look her, much less talk to her. You don't know what she's been through!" She yelled before shaking her head in disbelief and sprinting out of the gym with Troy hot on her heels. She skidded to a halt and turned to the young jock. "Thank you for getting me, Troy."

"Is she going to be okay?" Troy asked worriedly.

Taylor shrugged. "I don't know. Will you send Coach mine and Gabriella's apologies?"

"Of course." Troy whispered.

Taylor smiled slightly and touched his arm. "Don't worry about her. I'll get Kels to tell you how she is, okay?"

Troy smiled with satisfaction and nodded. "Thanks, Taylor. Could you ask her if she wants to come around to my house sometime, please? I want to tell her about my mom."

Taylor smiled sadly. "None of us have told her. For two reasons. One being that it should come from you. She needs to be able to trust you and that would be a good start."

"The other reason?" Troy asked.

Taylor shook her head slightly. "You know from experience that not everyone's life is perfect. Hers more than most. She just doesn't need any reason to remember her childhood. The sooner she finds an escape, the better."

Troy's eyes averted to the ground. "Will you apologise for me, please?" He whispered.

Taylor nodded. "Of course. And Troy?"

He lifted his head and smiled. "What?"

Taylor rolled her eyes towards the locker room and sighed. "I don't why you of all people like her. I don't mean that in a mean way, but I'm just shocked. Why do you like her?"

"How long have you got?" Troy asked seriously, raising his eyebrows.

"Please don't hurt her. I barely know what she's been through. I just know it isn't good." Taylor whispered. "But, maybe you're good for her."

Troy nodded solemnly. "I won't hurt her, you know."

Taylor smiled softly. "You're a good guy, Troy. Please just do what she says. Don't push her." She whispered before she entered the locker room. "Gabby?"

Gabriella poked her head around a row of lockers. "T-Tay?"

Taylor rushed forward and noticed that Gabriella's books were all over the floor. "What happened?"

"N-Nothing." Gabriella whimpered. "I dr-dropped my b-books."

Taylor walked over and began stacking them on one of the benches. "I meant," She sat on the bench and gestured for Gabriella to join her. She continued when the Filipino girl was sat next to her, "what happened between you and Troy?"

"Oh," She blushed and looked away. "I-It really isn't th-that bad. It j-just caught m-me off gu-guard."

"Come on, Gabby. Just tell me. You can tell me anything, always." She pressed softly.

Gabriella sighed. "I-I didn't kn-know what t-to do."

"About what?" Taylor asked patiently.

"Y-You kn-know, it really d-doesn't matter." Gabriella mumbled.

"Gabby…" Taylor warned. "Please tell me."

Gabriella sighed and looked across at the African-American. "Tr-Troy said th-that he l-likes me…a l-lot."

Taylor bit her lip thoughtfully. "In what context?"

"Huh?" Gabriella asked in surprise.

"Well, did he mean it like he cares about you, or did he mean it like he like, likes you?" Taylor asked.

"Um…I d-don't know. I m-mean, I-I've never h-had a gu-guy interested in m-me before." Gabriella confessed.

Taylor wrapped an arm around Gabriella's shoulders. "So, what are you going to do?"

Gabriella shrugged. "I d-don't kn-know."

"Well, he told me to tell you that he's sorry, you know." Taylor whispered.

Gabriella shrugged. "He d-didn't do an-nything wrong."

"Are you going to tell him that?" Taylor asked.

Gabriella looked at her. "Sh-Should I?"

"It's your choice." Taylor whispered. "But, he doesn't know what he did wrong."

Gabriella sighed. "H-He d-didn't, though."

"Gabby, I don't know if you'll go but, he told me to ask you if you'd go over to his house sometime. You don't have to go but I'd advise it." Taylor said softly, squeezing her shoulders.

Gabriella furrowed her brow. "H-Him and m-me? Al-lone?"

Taylor shrugged. "Coach might be there. And I'll be there if you want me to. He won't hurt a fly, much less a girl. He's not like Chad. I promise."

"I-It's not th-that easy, th-though." Gabriella whimpered.

"I know." Taylor soothed, rocking her back and fore. "I know."

Gabriella pulled back and breathed out shakily. "D-Do you th-think he'd c-come to y-your house inst-stead?"

Taylor smiled proudly and nodded. "I'm sure he will. Are you going to tell him?"

Gabriella nodded. "As l-long as y-you're there."

Taylor smiled softly. "That's fine. You seem so much more comfortable than when you first came here."

Gabriella laughed slightly. "I kn-know. It's a l-little sc-cary."

"It shouldn't be." Taylor whispered. "I honestly think Troy is good for you. We used to be friends. But, when high school happened, there were cliques and I was concentrating on my work and he was concentrating on basketball and we just kind of drifted. He won't hurt you. Trust me on this."


	6. Would've been proud

**A/N: Sorry it took so long. I've been a bit busy and will be for, like, the next three months. I warned you. I'm away next week and I'm catching up on maths coursework this week so I don't know how often I'll update :( **

**I know a few of you don't like Gabriella's stutter but I've asked two trustworthy fellow authors (thank you, ZZ9PluralZAlpha and xoxMusicalxox) and they feel that I should keep it because it's such an important part of Gabriella. So, basically, the stutter stays. I'm sorry if you don't like it but this is my story and what you're feeling is the annoyance that some people around Gabriella feel. I'm sorry.  
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**Don't own HSM**

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Chapter 5 – Would've been proud

Gabriella took a deep breath and turned back to her locker, taking out her bag so she was ready to go straight home. "Ch-Chad's th-there."

"Ignore him." Taylor muttered. "I would but I have so many insults for him, it wouldn't be any fun. But, you should."

Gabriella shut her locker and looked across the hall to where Troy stood, leaning against the lockers, surrounded by some of his teammates. He looked across and caught her eye. She looked away nervously and averted her gaze to Taylor. "Y-You th-think I should d-do this?"

Taylor nodded and squeezed her hand. "They can't do any real damage. Not while I'm there."

"C-Can you ask him t-to c-come over h-here?" Gabriella mumbled.

"Well, if you want me to…But, I think you should." Taylor advised. She saw Gabriella's uncertain expression and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, steering her towards the group of boys. "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. Just ask if you can speak to him alone, okay?"

Gabriella nodded timorously. "O-Okay." As they approached, the boys stopped talking and turned to them. "Tr-Troy?"

"L-Leave h-him al-lone." Jay, one of the jocks mocked.

Gabriella cowered into herself and her bottom lip trembled. "I-I'm s-sorry. I c-can't help i-it." She whimpered.

Troy pushed himself off of the lockers and shoved Jay. "Who do you fucking think you are?"

Jay glanced at his friends and then turned back to Troy. "I think I'm Jay. You know?"

Troy rolled his eyes. "Stay away from her. What's wrong with stuttering, huh?"

Jay stared at him in disbelief. "Man, what is up with you? She's just a freakish smarty-pants, anyway."

Troy's baby blue eyes suddenly blazed with anger and he threw his fist at Jay's nose. "Stay the bloody hell away from her, you sick bastard." Troy barked.

"Troy, Dude, what's wrong?" Chad asked in disbelief.

"Did you hear the things he said about her?" Troy exclaimed. "It's sick, Chad. Now get out of my way." Troy shoved him to the side and approached Gabriella. He gripped her upper arm and began dragging her down the hallway, leaving Taylor behind to screech at Chad.

"Tr-Troy?" She whimpered.

Troy loosened his grip but otherwise stayed silent. He pushed through the front doors, thanking the heavens that most of the students had already left. He released Gabriella's arm and dropped his bag to the floor. He kicked the nearest wall and yelled out in anger. He dropped down to sit on the small wall lining the fountain in front of the school. He was sat hunched over, his elbows resting on his knees and his hands clasped together. His eyes were squeezed together and he kept shaking his head, as if he was in agony.

"I'm sorry." He said softly.

Gabriella looked around nervously and sighed. "Y-You p-punched him."

"I know. I'm sorry." He whispered. "I know how nervous and scared you are around me. I promised myself I wouldn't get angry and violent and I'm sorry."

Gabriella walked slowly across to the wall and dropped her bag to the floor. She carefully sat next to him. "Troy?"

"I mean it." He whispered, his eyes scrunching together even tighter.

"I kn-know." Gabriella said softly. She slowly and tentatively wrapped her arm around his shoulders and sighed. "I-I l-liked it."

"What?" Troy muttered as he raised his head. "You liked it?"

Gabriella shrugged slightly. "A l-little b-bit. I mean, i-it h-hurt but n-not bec-cause of you. I felt p-protected."

"You are." Troy whispered, slipping his arm around her waist and Gabriella's arm dropped from his shoulders. "Always. I mean, I'm not going to let you get hurt. And all of those idiots in there are too scared of Taylor."

Gabriella giggled and looked across at him. "Y-You didn't h-have t-to do that, th-though."

"Yeah, I did." He exclaimed. "I can't let them talk about you that way."

She smiled slightly and looked away. "I-I only w-wanted to t-tell y-you that I don't w-want to g-go to your house."

"Oh." Troy whispered, looking disappointed. "That's okay. It doesn't matter."

"B-But, it w-wouldn't b-be so bad if y-you c-came round to T-Tay's." She finished quietly.

Troy looked at her and smiled. "You're okay with that?"

Gabriella nodded. "Yeah." She breathed. "I-I just d-don't f-feel that comfortable b-being at y-your house."

He smiled and kissed her forehead. "That's okay."

She bit her lip and got her feet. "Um, y-you kn-know, I don't w-want to c-come bet-tween you and your fr-friends."

Troy stood up and pulled her gently towards his chest. He smiled into her hair when she didn't flinch. "You're not." He murmured. "They're so superficial and shallow." He pulled back to look in her eyes. "And, like I said, I like you. Stuff them."

She bent down and picked her bag up. "So, I gu-guess w-we should g-go."

Troy picked his own bag up. "Yeah, that's cool." He said softly.

On the journey towards Taylor's house Troy persisted that there was no rush and they dawdled down the sidewalk together. Troy made most of the conversation, knowing that, even around him, Gabriella wasn't all that confident to talk to him. He talked about his father, how he seemed to be completely obsessed with basketball but also supported Troy's ambition to study theatre at college, too. He talked about Kelsi and how they'd been friends pretty much since they were born because their fathers were best friends. He talked about how his friends and the school's idolisation of him annoyed him.

And then he talked about…her.

"If I do anything to upset you, Ella, or if you don't want to be friends, just tell me." He said softly as they approached the front door.

Gabriella turned to him, and smiled slightly. "I w-want t-to be fr-friends. I-I'm just n-not th-that good at i-it." She shrugged and rolled her eyes. "L-Like you said, h-high school is s-superficial." She turned and pushed the door open.

Harry walked into the hallway as Troy shut the door and smiled. "Hello Gabby, and Troy? What on earth are you doing here?"

Troy chuckled at Harry. "Gabriella was going to help me with some math homework, right Ella?"

Gabriella nodded unsurely. "Y-Yeah. T-Tay went t-to Sharpay's house."

Harry nodded. "Well, I'll be in my office if you need me." He disappeared back down the hallway again.

Gabriella turned to Troy and smiled slightly. "Well, c-come on i-in." She led him through to the lounge and set her bag neatly on the couch. "D-Do you w-want a drink?"

Troy threw his backpack a little less carefully than Gabriella onto the couch. "Ummm…sure. Whatever you're having."

"I-Is soda ok-kay?" Gabriella asked.

Troy nodded. He watched her leave the lounge and he flopped down onto the couch. He felt so free with Gabriella. He felt like so much more than the playmaker. He felt like a protector. Gabriella was so vulnerable and scared and she needed something…reassurance and someone to talk to. Someone who'd grown up knowing life isn't fair. Someone who wouldn't underestimate her because of her stutter. Someone who thought it was cute.

Someone like him.

He rubbed his forehead and sighed. "Oh, God."

Gabriella returned and frowned. "Y-You okay?"

Troy opened his eyes and looked up at her. She smiled in amusement at him and released a small giggle. Troy's mouth went dry and he had the feeling that he was looking remarkably like a goldfish. The light shining in from the window was making her almost glow.

"An angel." He whispered.

Gabriella frowned and glanced a around. "Huh?"

Troy jumped visibly and sat up straighter. "Nothing."

She shook her head slightly and handed him a glass of soda. She sat down next to him, leaving a gap between them, and sipped her own glass before setting it down on the coffee table. She reached for her bag and began rummaging for her math book. "So, wh-what are y-you struggling on?"

Troy slowly pried her fingers from her bag and dropped it to the floor. "I didn't want to speak to you about homework. I'm passing every subject, which is a miracle."

"H-Hardly. Y-You _are_ sm-mart. Y-You shouldn't put y-yourself d-down so much." She whispered, looking at the carpeted floor.

"So, how are we all that different?" He asked, reaching for her hand. "You underestimate yourself all the time…which, like you said, you shouldn't."

She lifted her head and sighed. "I s-said you sh-shouldn-n't."

"And I'm saying you shouldn't. Don't listen to those jerks, okay?" He smiled reassuringly down at her. "Listen to Tay and me and even Sharpay. Just not them."

She nodded slightly. "O-Okay. S-So what did y-you want t-to t-talk ab-bout?"

Troy took a deep breath and looked away. "You know the other day? You said your mom was in heaven, right?"

Gabriella smiled at the mention of her mother. "Yeah. S-She is."

Troy turned back to her and felt his eyes water. "My mother's with her."

Gabriella frowned. "Wh-What?"

Troy settled back into the couch, his hand still clasping hers. "My mom's dead. Believe it or not. I don't know the details of your mom's death but I know the details of mine. I know how I felt because of it. I know how much it affected me. And I know how much it affected my dad."

Gabriella turned to him and stared at him for a while. For once, she saw how she imagined she looked to other people: vulnerable. Tears were threatening to spill from his eyes but he wasn't embarrassed by it. He simply kept looking into her eyes. A small smile played on the corner of her lips and she returned it. Now she knew how alike they really were.

"She d-died?" She whispered.

Troy nodded. "Yeah. Three years ago. She had cervical cancer for a year before she went…with her unfailing faith."

Gabriella leaned back next to Troy and squeezed his hand. "F-Faith?"

Troy smiled across at her, massaging her palm with his thumb. "She never gave up. Not once. She never let it get to her. Her parents died when I was three so my dad and I were literally everything she had and that's what she kept telling me." He used his free hand to reach into the neck hole of his shirt and he brought out a fairly thick gold chain with a gold wedding ring hanging off it. "This was my mom's."

Gabriella smiled slightly and held up her right hand. Troy, for the first time, noticed a petite silver ring with a flower made up of rose quartz resting delicately on her middle finger. "Th-This was m-my mom's."

Troy chuckled in disbelief. "It's beautiful."

"My m-mom was v-very b-beautiful." Gabriella admitted softly.

"Just like her daughter." Troy whispered.

Gabriella sighed and looked away. "Wh-When you s-said I-I'd get i-ill because I d-don't t-talk to many people…Wh-What did you m-mean?"

Troy sighed. "My mom was pretty much my best friend in the world – closely followed by Kelsi and Chad. And I became very withdrawn and I was verging on becoming mentally ill." He shrugged slightly and intertwined their fingers together. "My dad snapped me out of it. He basically said that he couldn't lose me. And he was starting to because I barely talked. I don't want you to hurt people like I did. That's what I meant."

Gabriella let her eyes flicker down to their hands. "Y-You sound l-like y-you care ab-bout me."

Troy wrapped his arms around her and kissed her hair. "I wish you'd believe me when I say that I do."

Gabriella rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. "I-I swear i-it's n-not just you. I f-find it h-hard t-to bel-lieve T-Tay cares about m-me."

"Of course Taylor's going to care about you. She's one of the most caring people I know." Troy whispered.

Gabriella giggled as she sat up straighter to look at him. "I kn-know. Y-You, too."

Troy shrugged slightly. "You're just…special. You're different. You didn't go crazy over me…or anyone, for that matter." She blushed and turned away. "It's not a bad thing. It's…nice. All of those girls are so obsessive and its crazy the amount of times I've had to change my cell phone number."

She smiled slightly. "M-Maybe I w-want to go c-crazy over you…just n-not f-for the reasons th-the ch-cheerl-leaders do." She mumbled and blushed with embarrassment.

Troy chuckled. "You look cute when you blush. But, you don't have to be embarrassed around me. Believe me, admitting that you want to go crazy over me isn't the worst thing I've heard. When I was a sophomore, a volleyball player ran up to me, kissed me, told me she masturbates over me and then ran away. So, I think it's sweet."

"Th-That a g-girl…y-you know, ov-ver you?" Gabriella asked in confusion.

"No. I was talking about you being crazy about me." He winked at her.

She rolled her eyes and shoved him jokingly. "Y-You're not g-going to l-let that go, a-are you?"

He smiled across at her. "No. Like I said, you're cute when you blush."

* * *

Troy pulled the front door open and turned to Gabriella. He had stayed for dinner – after much persuasion from Diane – and he had been surprised by how much Gabriella had enjoyed hanging out with him. She hadn't seemed as nervous and scared as she had at the beginning. He didn't know whether it was Taylor or Harry and Diane or Albuquerque, or even him. He was just thankful for it.

"You okay?" He asked gently.

She smiled softly and nodded. "Y-Yeah."

"So, are you sure you want to be friends with a jock like me?" He asked teasingly.

She rolled her eyes. "Are y-you s-sure you w-want to be friends w-with a fr-freak like m-me?"

He leaned down and pressed his lips firmly to her cheek. "Absolutely."

She blushed deeply when he straightened back up and he chuckled. "St-Stop laughing a-at m-me." She playfully hit his chest.

He gently grabbed her wrist and his chuckle died on his lips and he looked seriously into her eyes as she gasped. His lips brushed her palm, his eyes locked on hers. "You might be one of the most amazing people I have ever met. I can usually predict how people will act around me. The cheerleaders will flirt with me but the chess club will ignore me. Jocks invite me to their parties but the band geeks hate me being at their concerts. And then there's you."

Gabriella sighed and nervously licked her lips. "I-I'll take th-that as a c-compliment."

He nodded with a smile as he dropped her hand. "You should. Hey, do you want a ride to school tomorrow?"

Gabriella opened her mouth but was suddenly tugged backward by Taylor. "Say yes." She whispered. "He's a good guy. Besides, he's cute. Go for it." Taylor lifted her head from by Gabriella's ear and waved to Troy. "See you at school, Troy."

"You too, Tay." He smiled at her as she ascended the stairs. She turned back briefly to gesture with her eyes to Troy before hurrying up the rest. "So, before Taylor rudely interrupted," He said loudly before restoring his voice to the normal volume, "do you want a ride?"

Gabriella swallowed and folded her arms nervously. "Tr-Troy-"

"You don't have to, you know." He offered. "I just wondered if you'd go to school with me. I mean, _are_ friends, right?"

"W-Well, yes. B-But, everyb-body w-would talk…especially y-your fr-friends." She mumbled, looking at the floor.

Troy shrugged. "I don't know about you, but they can bloody well fuck off."

She smiled up at him. "Y-You really w-want t-to, don't you?"

Troy nodded as he brushed some of her curls behind her ear. "Yeah. I do. Please?" He gave her a big, cheesy grin as he dropped his hand to his side.

"I-I'm a s-sucker for cheesy sm-smiles." She giggled.

He beamed at her. "Is that a yes?"

"Yes." She whispered.

He kissed her cheek one last time, placing a hand lightly on her waist, and then whispered into her ear, "Your mom would've been proud of you."

Gabriella's eyes watered and rested a hand on his chest. "Your mom would've been proud of you, too."


	7. A good thing?

**A/N: This chapter wasn't as long as usual but I couldn't think of anything to add without ruining it. I hope you like it :) Don't own HSM x

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Chapter 6 – A good thing?

Gabriella was awoken by a car horn sounding loudly. She sat up gracefully and got out of bed in her pyjamas – which consisted of some pale blue mid-thigh shorts and a matching tank top – and wandered over to her window. She smiled in disbelief as Troy climbed out of his truck and looked up at her, waving at her. She managed a small wave back and watched as he shut the door and leaned against it casually.

Gabriella decided on a pair of jeans, a white shirt and a pale blue jacket. She applied a little foundation to her left cheek and ran her brush gently through her hair. Whilst she was undergoing her preparations for school, she kept reminiscing her night. She found it a little…uncomfortable that she didn't have a nightmare. She didn't have a dream at all, actually. She simply…slept and woke up to Troy Bolton. She couldn't figure out if it was a good thing or a bad thing. It was possibly a good thing because Troy made her feel free. And that was exactly why it could be bad. How much freedom did she deserve?

She grabbed her backpack and rushed down the stairs. She entered the kitchen to see Troy, Taylor and Diane all sat around the island. She saw Troy's care-free posture, heard his musical laugh, saw his beautiful smile, saw his unnaturally bright blue eyes and her worries fled her mind.

"Hey, Ella." Troy smiled at her.

She returned the smile and dropped her bag to the floor. "H-Hi."

"Ella?" Diane enquired, glancing quizzically at Taylor who shrugged.

Troy's cheeks reddened in a considerably unmanly fashion and he coughed nervously, straining his eyes on the wall just behind Diane's head. He felt Gabriella touch his hand and he saw her reassuring smile and he nodded. "It just…" He turned back to Diane and Taylor, "sounded right." He hurriedly turned to Gabriella again, "You don't mind, do you, Ella?"

She giggled as she reached for an apple from the middle of the island. "I-I like i-it."

Troy sighed in relief. "Oh, good. I was worried you didn't just then. Thank you for that worry, Diane."

She held her hands up defensively. "I only questioned what you called her."

Troy rolled his eyes as he stood up and picked up Gabriella's bag. "Well, whatever, I'm going to take Ella to school now."

Gabriella bit into her apple and frowned up at him. "Wh-Why don't w-we w-wait a c-couple of m-minutes? W-We won't be l-late."

Troy sighed and leaned down to her ear. "I want to show you something."

She looked up at him quizzically as he straightened back up and raised his eyebrows at her. "W-We'll be g-going."

He kissed her forehead and looked back at Diane. "Don't worry. I'll drop her home straight after- Damn. Ella, I can't drive you home tonight. We've got a late night practice because of the championships."

"D-Don't worry. T-Tay c-can drive m-me. Right Tay?" Gabriella asked unsurely.

Taylor nodded. "Of course. I've got a scholastic Decathlon meeting tonight, as well, though. But, you're more than welcome to sit in. You can just sit and read. You don't have to do anything."

"Or you can watch me practice." Troy offered.

Gabriella looked between Troy and Taylor. "C-Can I s-sit in the sch-scholastic dec-cathlon, please? I-I'm not th-that comfortable being ar-round your fr-friends."

Troy nodded, smiling. "I can understand. That's fine. Come on."

Gabriella took another bite from her apple and waved slightly to Taylor and Diane. "B-Bye, Diane." She felt Troy rest a hand on her lower back and she flinched. Troy immediately removed his hand and she rushed ahead a couple of steps. She pulled the door open and stepped outside, heading towards his truck.

Troy shut the door behind him and scratched his neck thoughtfully. Gabriella was so damn hard to figure out. One minute, he could touch her – even hug her – without her flinching, and the next, she flinches just because he touched her back. He didn't hold anything against her because of it, he just knew he'd have to get her to give him some guidelines as to where she didn't mind being touched. He knew that she was vulnerable and, possibly, broken and he just needed to convince her that he…cared (?) about her.

How far did his care for her run? He'd had plenty of girlfriends to compare his feelings to. They didn't. He _couldn't_ compare the feelings he had for his Ella with his past girlfriends because his past girlfriends were too sluttty to take up more than one percent of his thoughts. Actually, less than that. The sooner her _forgot_ those relationships, the better. Stupid expectations of being basketball captain.

"Troy?" Gabriella called from where she was standing by his truck.

Troy barely registered her voice and the only sign he showed that he had actually heard her was robotically walking across the front lawn of the McKessie's house and towards his truck. He had the very unfamiliar feeling deep within the southern region of his stomach that he actually _liked_ her. As in liking the thought of feeling her in his arms. As in liking the thought of kissing her. As in liking the thought of, maybe, making to love to her one day.

Okay, so that was lurking in the deep, dark fantasyland that belonged safely in his pants. But, as he approached Gabriella and subtly looked her up and down without her noticing, he wondered how he couldn't think of her in that way. Of course, he doubted the feelings would be reciprocated for two possible reasons. Firstly, she was extremely fragile and he doubted she wanted a boyfriend at all, much less a sexual relationship. Secondly, what would she see in him? She had said that he was smart and maybe he was smarter than the stereotypical jock and most of the East High basketball team. But… Why was there always a but? Gabriella's was so cute. Wait, Troy, get back on track. But when would his intelligence ever compare with hers? He'd seen her in class. Hell, she was smarter than Taylor.

"Tr-Troy…" Gabriella sang somewhat nervously.

He finally snapped out of his thoughts and looked down on the petite, beautiful, incredible, smart, funny…Get over it, Bolton! He looked down on the girl who had occupied his mind since pretty much the previous night. He smiled softly as he unlocked his truck and handed her the backpack which he had picked up. "Here you go. Come on. We've got plenty of time."

Gabriella nodded silently and made her way to the other side of the cab of his truck. They climbed in simultaneously and Gabriella settled her bag by her feet and they strapped their seatbelts across their torsos and their hands brushed across each other. Gabriella drew hers away quickly and shifted in her seat so that she was pushed up as close to the door as humanly possible and then folded her hands neatly in her lap.

Troy sighed to himself and put his truck into drive. After a fairly short and very awkward journey, Troy pulled up on the side of the road by the park. "Come on, Ella. Are you coming?"

Gabriella continued to stare out of the window at a tree about three feet away from the truck. "Wh-Where are w-we g-going?"

Troy chuckled at the direction of her gaze. "Exactly where you're looking. That tree right there…it's the most beautiful tree in the world."

Gabriella finally twisted her head to face him. "Wh-Why?"

Troy smiled mysteriously before he unbuckled his seatbelt and hopped gracefully out of his truck. He jogged around to the passenger side and pulled the door open, causing Gabriella to jump in surprise. He held his hand out to her and smiled charmingly up at the Filipino girl. "It's just a tree, Ella. But, after yesterday, you need to see it."

Gabriella slowly unbuckled her seatbelt and sighed. "B-But, wh-why is it s-so imp-portant?"

"I guess you'll have to trust me and see." He whispered, pushing his hand towards her a little more.

Gabriella tentatively placed her hand in his considerably larger one and proceeded to leave the cab of Troy's truck. Unfortunately for her – although Troy didn't see it as all that bad – she tripped over her bag strap and fell straight into Troy's awaiting arms. She shrieked – partly in surprise of the collision with Troy's chest and partly in fear – as Troy secured an arm around her waist and continued to help her down. She blushed with embarrassment. She was seventeen years old and couldn't even leave a truck properly without causing havoc.

"Hey, you okay?" Troy asked as he looked into her milky eyes, concern written across his face. His hands rested lightly on her waist but she was looking way too deeply into his pools of cerulean blue to even consider reacting to his touch.

"Y-Yeah. S-Sorry. Th-That was my fault." She mumbled, dragging her gaze away from his and forced it at the grass under their feet.

"Hey, it doesn't matter. I guess I'm your guardian angel." He teased.

She lifted her head and frowned. "Huh?"

"Well, I mean, if I wasn't here, who'd have caught you?" He grinned down on her, winking in a way she sheepishly admitted she found sexy.

"I-I don't kn-know." She admitted and then continued in a soft whisper. "B-But, I'm glad i-it was y-you."

He kissed her forehead and nodded as he let go of her and led her over to the tree he had indicated earlier. He began to climb the tree with the lack of effort which only occurred after many times of practice. He nestled himself comfortably on the lowest branch and he smiled down at her. "Remember what I told you yesterday?"

Gabriella nodded. "Of c-course I-I do."

"My mom was very encouraging to me. She encouraged me to change the world. Or at least try to." He shrugged slightly. "And this was pretty much the first thing she did to help change the world. She helped plant this tree way back when she was in high school with my dad. And my dad, being his hopelessly-in-love-sorry-for-himself person, he made their mark." He gestured to the other side of the tree. "Check this out." He twisted around on the branch until he was facing away from her.

She walked slowly around the trunk until she was standing directly under where Troy was perched. "Wh-What am I-I looking-" She saw it. There, right in front of her eyes, was a heart carved into the trunk. Inside the heart were two sets of initials: J.B. 4 L.W. She admitted it was kind of corny but extremely sweet. "Y-Your parents?" She squeaked.

Troy nodded. "They were high school sweethearts. My mom moved to Albuquerque just before her freshman year. My dad was a year older and they met because…Because he heard her sing." He whispered, staring into her eyes. Exactly how they met officially. "It was basically love at first sight but my dad was way too terrified to admit it to even himself. He waited a year until other guys were threatening their possible relationship and he got over himself and did it.

"They were inseparable. My dad refused to leave my mom's side and went to U of A so he wouldn't be too far away." He smiled softly in remembrance. "Two weeks into their relationship, my mom joined this…thing to do with beating global warming and helped to plant this tree. A day after they planted it, my dad brought her here and carved that in.

"They were sickeningly in love. The only thing they fought about was how much time me and my dad played basketball. It was sweet but, from a teenage boy's point of view, it was kind of disturbing. After I realised what they possibly got up to when I wasn't present in the house, it was even worse. But, I'd rather it have been like that than they fought all the time.

"My mom was, ultimately, my best friend. Not Chad or Kelsi or even my dad. It was my mom." A few tears rolled down his cheek and he chuckled lowly. "And I was never embarrassed about it. Not once."

Gabriella smiled slightly. "Sh-She sounds amaz-zing."

Troy nodded and sighed with nostalgia. "Yeah. She was." He paused slightly before his eyes locked on hers. "Can I ask you something?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Did I hurt you earlier? Only, I hugged you last night and _you_ touched _my_ hand this morning…and I touch your lower back and you flinch again. I wondered if I'd hurt you." Troy mumbled, looking down on her quizzically.

Gabriella looked down at her feet and shrugged. "N-No."

Troy jumped down from his position in the tree and stood in front of her. "Then what is it? Ella, you can tell me anything…always. I won't tell anybody."

She shook her head and closed her eyes. "I-It's not th-that simp-ple, Tr-Troy."

He gently lifted her head with two fingers and breathed softly against her forehead. "Then, promise me something. You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to. I'd never force anybody into that. I want you to promise me that you'll tell me if I do anything to insult you or violate you or hurt you any way. Promise?" He looked desperately into her eyes.

Gabriella finally nodded with a small smile pulling at her mouth. "I promise."

Troy stared at her curiously for a moment as he took her hand in his.

"Wh-What?" She asked nervously, shuffling her feet.

"You don't stutter nearly as much than when you first came." He said softly. "I didn't know if you'd noticed…"

She shrugged. "I hadn't. But, m-maybe it's a g-good th-thing." She whispered.

Troy sighed deeply as he forced a smile. _Unless it made you even more adorable._


	8. Save My Life

**A/N: I would've finished this earlier but I forgot to save it last night and I've got coursework to do. Hopefully that'll be the last of it. But, even then I've got exams. Good news: Towards the end of June, I finish school and get an extended summer so I'll be able to write all the time!!!**

**Don't own HSM or 'everyday' by Rascal Flatts (Love them!!! 3)

* * *

**

Chapter 7 – Save My Life

In the past week, Troy had spent every available moment with Gabriella. He was priding in the fact that she wasn't stuttering as much – but only around him – and she didn't flinch _at all_ when he touched her. He had driven her to school everyday and had joined her at the library to study together – even though Troy was studying Gabriella more than math. He could tell that she was slightly worried about how she was feeling relaxed around him and he kept assuring her that he wouldn't hurt her and then he made her promise that she'd tell him if she was uncomfortable with anything. He had encouraged her to begin touching him just like he touched her. Whilst eating lunch together on the science rooftop – like they had everyday – he had taken her hand and lightly placed it on his knee. He had liked it a lot. She had kept looking intently at her hand and bit her lip in concentration as her pointer finger began making light circles. With one arm around her shoulders and the other relaxing at the side of him, he was in heaven. He loved how her touch was so hesitant and innocent, worrying about whether he liked it or not – he did, of course.

Troy shot a basket and then looked around the gym. "Dude, are the girls with us today?"

"Unfortunately." Chad muttered as he shot his own basket.

Troy suddenly smiled as looked expectantly at the gym doors. "They're with us?"

"Well, yeah. We're doing basketball again." Chad explained as he threw his basketball to Troy.

"True, true." He suddenly grinned when the doors opened and he threw the basketball over his shoulder. "I've got to go. See ya, dude." He sprinted the full length of the gym as Gabriella entered with Taylor, Sharpay, Kelsi and Martha. He picked Gabriella up by the waist and spun her around. He listened to her squeals and giggles of surprise and smiled uncontrollably to himself at the sound. He finally stopped and lowered her to the ground. "Good afternoon, ladies."

Gabriella blushed deeply as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. "Hey, Tr-Troy."

"Hi Troy." Kelsi stepped forward and kissed his cheek.

"Hi." Taylor, Sharpay and Martha said in unison.

"We're just going to go and warm up." Taylor said, pointing towards the centre of the gym. "Right?" She gestured with her eyes to Troy and Gabriella and raised her eyebrows as she and the other girls left Troy and Gabriella alone.

Troy turned to Gabriella, wrapping his other arm around her and pulling her closer. "I spoke to my dad and he's cool with it. We can run through the rules again and have some one-on-one."

"But, I d-don't want sp-special treatment." She whispered. "Even if I do spend time with you." Her cheeks reddened and she smiled coyly.

He laughed and leaned down to kiss her cheek. "You're so cute, it's unbelievable. It's not special treatment. My dad wouldn't force anybody into anything they're not comfortable with. Besides, he's really taken to you, you know. He likes you."

She sighed softly. "You c-can join ev-veryone else if y-you want."

Troy kissed her forehead. "I want to teach you basketball. You're going to make a basket today. I know you will."

She rested one hand on his chest and stretched onto her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "You're sweet."

He winked. "Because you're adorable."

She rolled her eyes. "St-Stop it."

Troy grinned and picked her up again, spinning her around. "Hey, my parents told me not to lie." He set her down and kissed her nose. "Besides, I need you to know that you're perfect. Remember how you were when you first got here? You wouldn't trust anyone and wouldn't believe anyone who complimented you."

She bowed her head and nodded. "Yeah."

"And now you let me touch you and you don't flinch. I don't know if Taylor can touch you but I know one thing," He paused until she lifted her head, "I'm glad you let me. You're an amazing girl. And the one that I don't mind if you go all crazy over me."

"You d-dork. I told you. Of course I w-want to. Any girl in th-the school w-would be lucky to be friends w-with you." She whispered.

Troy shrugged. "I guess you're just the luckiest."

"Troy!" Jack called, pointing towards the free basketball hoop.

"Right, Dad. We're coming." Troy took Gabriella's hand and they ran towards the hoop. "Wait here, okay?" Troy left Gabriella and soon returned with a basketball. He passed it to her and raised his eyebrows. "You know what to do."

Gabriella took a deep breath and sighed. "What makes y-you think I can do th-this?"

"Guy's intuition?" He tried.

She raised her eyebrows.

"Okay, I don't know but you can do it. Please?" He gave her a cheesy smile and she rolled her eyes.

"You're g-going to be th-the end of me, I swear." She mumbled.

He grinned triumphantly. "Thank you. Now go on."

Gabriella bounced the ball a couple of times before she jumped, tucking her elbow in and shot. She watched the ball roll around the rim before falling off. "See?"

Troy jogged over and caught the ball before he threw it to Gabriella again. "Try again. I know you can do this."

Gabriella looked at Troy and stepped towards him. "You honestly b-believe I can d-do this?"

"Of course." Troy whispered, tracing her cheek with his fingers. "I believe in everything you do. Okay, think of it differently: think of it as a triangle, okay? Take the things you're good at and you enjoy – so, math and science – and bring them into basketball. You just need to find that perfect angle and force, okay?"

Gabriella slowly stepped backwards and got into the proper position. She squinted in concentration and Troy could see the cogs whirling in her brain as she took in the height of the hoop and the distance between herself and the hoop. She shot the ball into the air and she held her breath as the ball soared effortlessly through the air and through the hoop, not even touching the rim. "I did it." She whispered.

Troy watched in pride as she stood still, staring at the hoop. "Ella?"

"It w-went in." She whispered as she slowly faced him. She suddenly giggled and jumped into his arms.

Troy hooked his arm under her knees so he was holding her like a bride as he swung her around. Her arms were around his neck and their eyes were locked on each other. "I told you." He whispered.

"Troy!" Jack yelled.

Troy's eyes stayed glued to Gabriella's as he froze and answered. "Yeah?"

"Uh…Troy." Jack said more pointedly.

Troy and Gabriella simultaneously turned to Jack and saw the whole class staring at them. Gabriella jumped gracefully from his arms and blushed, turning away in embarrassment. "Dad…we're in class. Right." He turned around and picked up the forgotten basketball. "Basketball. Right. Ummm…Yeah." He turned to Gabriella and ducked his head to her ear. "I'm sorry. Ignore them."

She peeked around his body to see Jack attempting to continue his class but students were still muttering and glancing at her. She sighed as she peered up at Troy. "Th-That was m-my fault." She smiled slightly and took the ball from him. "You said I-I would."

Troy nodded. "I knew you could. I didn't know how long it would take but I wanted to be the one who saw you do it." He shrugged when he saw her look of disbelief and embarrassment. "I'm selfish when it comes to you."

She rolled her eyes. "Wh-Where did you c-come from?"

He poked his tongue out and took the ball back from her. "Hey, we need to celebrate tonight. What do you think?"

Gabriella peered around him again and looked at Taylor who was, as per usual, in a heated 'discussion' with Chad. "I'm n-not sure."

Troy stroked her cheek as she faced him again. "Why don't we just hang out at my house?"

"Y-Your h-house?" She squeaked.

Troy nodded. "Yeah. We can order pizza, Chinese food, Italian…Wait, pizza comes under that…"

She giggled uncontrollably and reached up to intertwine her fingers with his which were still stroking her cheek. She bit her lip and sighed. "Troy, I kn-know we're fr-friends. But, it's st-still hard."

"I know." Troy whispered.

She took a deep breath and pried his fingers from her face. "But, m-maybe I can tr-try if you're th-there."

He smiled brightly and kissed her cheek. "I'm proud of you." He whispered.

* * *

"So, what's up with you and Mr Basketball-Boy?" Taylor asked as she moved along the lunch queue behind Gabriella.

Gabriella sighed. "I-I'm not su-sure. But, ev-ven if he w-wants t-to date me, I don't kn-know if I can d-do it."

Taylor reached for an apple and then a carton of milk. "Then stop flirting so damn much!"

"I'm n-not!" Gabriella exclaimed indignantly as she paid for her lunch and then stepped aside so Taylor could do the same.

Taylor stepped away from the cash register and closer to Gabriella to raise her eyebrows. "Really?"

Gabriella nodded. "Y-Yeah."

They began heading towards the lunch table and both sat next to each other, quietly greeting Sharpay, Ryan, Kelsi and Martha. Taylor turned back to Gabriella. "How come I've barely seen you without Troy since last week? We haven't spent any time together!"

"Oooohhh, does the new girl have a thing for the most eligible bachelor at East High?" Sharpay asked, shuffling closer to Gabriella.

Gabriella bowed her head and stared at her lunch. "Gu-Guys, i-it's complicated."

Taylor wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Gabby, do you like Troy."

"W-Well, sure. H-He's my b-best fr-friend." She whispered.

"I'm not sure that's what Tay meant." Ryan said softly.

Gabriella lifted her head and looked around at her friends. She sighed. "I-I hon-nestly don't know. I-I've never b-been into a gu-guy and gu-guys have never b-been into m-me."

"Where is Troy?" Martha asked.

"H-He said that Ch-Chad wanted t-to talk t-to him." Gabriella explained.

"That's going to end badly." Taylor muttered.

"Wh-Why does h-he hate m-me?" Gabriella mumbled.

"Not just you." Kelsi explained quietly, speaking for the first time. "Anyone who isn't popular who shows interest in Troy. Troy's like my older brother. He's always been there since the beginning. As soon as high school started, I was honestly terrified. I saw how Tay and Troy drifted apart – it was nothing to do with Chad, it just happened – but I didn't want that to happen. Still, Chad tried to stop it. He said hurtful things to me but Troy punched him and he gave up

"But, no offence or anything, Gabby, it's obvious that you're kind of weak and vulnerable. He'll thrive off of that. I doubt that Troy will let anything happen but just know that it isn't just you, okay?" Kelsi asked.

Gabriella nodded and moved her chilli fries around the tray absent-mindedly. "I-I don't w-want t-to lose Troy."

"You won't." Taylor said confidently. "Troy won't let that happen. Believe me, the way he feels about you, he won't let you go even if it's for Chad."

Suddenly the cafeteria doors slammed open and everyone fell silent, turning to face the entrance. Troy stormed inside, his fists clenched by his sides and his brow creased deeply. He stalked through the cafeteria, past the table where his friends were and up to the rooftop garden. Chad followed but stopped at the jock table. Gabriella knew Troy would avoid her until he had calmed down – he was still weary about showing anger around her – but she was determined to find out what Chad had said to get him so worked up.

As much as she wanted Troy in her life, she didn't want him to lose friends over her.

* * *

Troy pushed the door open and allowed her inside. "Go on in."

Gabriella smiled and stepped over the threshold. She smiled in wonder at the walls covered with pictures of Troy. He was playing basketball in one and she giggled under her breath. She turned to him as he shut the door. "You've b-been playing your wh-whole life."

He nodded as he slipped his sneakers off and dropped his bag at the bottom of the stairs. "Pretty much. But, I've also been singing all of my life."

"I-I've never h-heard you." She whispered.

Troy pried her bag from her fingers and set it neatly by his bag and he watched as she slipped her shoes off and se them to the side. "One day I'll sing to you." He promised with a smile. He led her through to the lounge and he gestured with his hand to the room. "This is it. It's not much but it's somewhere I can be myself and just hang out with my dad. I'm sorry about the mess, you know, two males living in a house…not much cleaning gets done."

Gabriella walked over to the mantel and picked a picture frame up. She twisted her head to look at him and smiled. "I c-can imagine." She looked back down at the picture. It was of a woman – she assumed it was Troy's mom – holding a baby and being hugged by a younger version of Jack. "Is this your mom?"

Troy wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and peered over her shoulder. "Yeah. You would've liked her, you know."

Gabriella set the picture back and twisted in his arms to face him. "Really?"

Troy nodded. "She would've liked you, too. You know, I haven't talked about my mom so much as this last week."

She smiled slightly. "Yeah?"

Troy nodded and reluctantly stepped away. He scratched the back of his head. "Do you want a drink and a snack?"

"Ummm…" Gabriella looked down to her shuffling feet.

"How about some soda and some chips?" Troy asked.

Gabriella nodded and lifted her head, sighing in relief. "I'd l-like that."

Troy smiled and left for the kitchen. He returned a couple of minutes later with a large bowl of chips and two cans of soda. He sat down next to Gabriella on the couch and set the food on the coffee table. "Do you want to watch some TV?" He looked at her profile and frowned with worry when she barely moved. "Ella?"

She took a deep breath and turned to face him. "Wh-What did h-he say?"

"Who?" Troy asked.

"Chad." She whispered.

"Oh. That." Troy realised. "You know, it doesn't matter. It's not important."

"It's imp-portant to m-me." She exclaimed. "T-Tell me!"

Troy looked into her eyes and sighed. "Okay. Ummm…Ella, just know that nothing he said is true. He said it, not me. Nothing he can do is going to stop us from being together. I swear."

Gabriella nodded timidly and took his hand. "Okay."

Troy shrugged slightly and avoided her eyes. "He said that we can't be friends anymore – you and me. He said that you were a geek and I was a jock. He said that you read books and I play ball." He finally looked into her eyes and took a deep breath. "And he said that you're not cool enough or confident enough or beautiful enough to be my girlfriend."

Her lip trembled and she took her hand away. "I'm s-sorry." She whispered as she got to her feet. "I d-don't want to c-come between you and Ch-Chad." She made her way around the coffee table and fiddled with the hem of her shirt.

Troy jumped up and grabbed her around the waist. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop!" He turned her around in his arms and looked deeply into her eyes. "Don't go. Not because of Chad."

"B-But, I'm c-coming between you and h-him." She cried. "You c-can't choose me ov-ver him. You've kn-known him your whole l-life. I won't l-let you do it."

"Shhh…" Troy held her snugly to his chest and felt her give up her struggling and relax against him. "Please don't leave me."

Gabriella lifted her head and a tear leaked from the corner of her eyes. "B-But…"

"No buts!" Troy said sternly. "I'm not letting Chad get to us, okay?"

She nodded timidly. "O-Okay."

Troy stared at her for a couple of moments before he stepped away from her. He wandered over to the stereo and pressed play. He stepped back to Gabriella and held his hand out. "May I have this dance?"

"W-Well, I can't d-dance…at all. B-Besides, what if your d-dad comes h-home?" She asked nervously.

"He won't." Troy said softly. "There's a staff meeting tonight that lasts for about an hour."

Gabriella shrugged. "I c-can't dance."

Troy stepped closer and guided her hands to rest lightly on his shoulders. He rested his hands on her waist and kept his eyes locked on hers. "It's easy. I'll show you. Stand on my toes."

"What?" She asked in shock.

"Stand on my toes." He whispered.

"I d-don't want t-to hurt you."

Troy rolled his eyes to himself and wrapped his arms around her waist. He picked her up and set her down so she was standing on his toes. "There. I'm fine."

She nodded hesitantly. "O-Okay."

Troy slowly started to sway to the music, keeping his arms tight around her waist. "Chad was wrong, okay? Don't believe anything he said or ever tells you."

Gabriella licked her lips nervously. "So, i-if he was wr-wrong, what would b-be right?"

"You might not be confident, but that's okay. I think you're adorable. You are the coolest girl I've ever met. I like the fact you read. It shows me that you need something you can't find. I love your stutter." He whispered.

"No you d-don't." She protested weakly.

"I do." He kissed her nose. "And I think you're the most beautiful girl ever."

"St-Stop lying." She mumbled.

"I'm not!" He exclaimed.

Gabriella furrowed her brow as she registered what song was playing. "Why did you pick this?"

"The song?" He asked. "_Everyday_ by Rascal Flatts was the first song I learnt to play on the guitar. My mom taught it to me."

"I love th-this song." She whispered, a smile tugging at her lips.

"Yeah?" He smiled down on her and tightened his arms around her waist, still swaying to the music. "It made me think of you."

She blushed prettily and moved her hands to the back of his neck. "Wh-Why?"

"I've never felt myself more than when I'm with you." Troy whispered.

She bit her lip. "That's sw-weet."

Troy chuckled and leaned down so that his forehead was resting on hers. "Ella…"

"Wh-What?" She whispered.

"Can I ask you a really big question?"

"Y-Yeah. I c-can't promise an ans-swer, though." She said softly.

"You don't have to." Troy assured her. He stopped swaying and lifted a hand to brush a lock of hair away from her left cheek. "Ella, you're amazing and I want to ask you if you'd do me the honour of being my girlfriend?"

Gabriella pulled her head away from his and frowned. "What?" She squeaked.

"I want you to be my girlfriend." He whispered.

Gabriella started shaking her and stepped away from him. "Tr-Troy, I don't kn-know."

He coughed self-consciously and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I mean, just pretend my mouth can actually shut."

She giggled and sank back to sit on the couch. She peered up at him from beneath her long lashes and clapped her hands together. "No." She swallowed. "Tr-Troy, it's hard. I-I've told you."

Troy nodded with understanding and perched himself on the edge of the coffee table. "I know. You don't have to. I mean…Answer me one question: do you like me?"

She connected her eyes with his and nodded slowly. "Yeah. I d-do."

Troy smiled brightly at her and reached out to brush his thumb over her cheek. "Please give me a chance?"

She rested a hand on his knee and began making light circles with her index finger. "Will y-you promise m-me something?"

"Of course." Troy whispered, holding her hands in his.

"Promise m-me that y-you won't force me t-to do anything." She mumbled.

"I'd never force anyone into anything." He exclaimed. "Please, Ella?"

Gabriella nodded slowly. "O-Okay. B-But, you're my f-first boyfriend. I d-don't want t-to rush into i-it."

"As I've been saying all along, tell me if I do anything you don't like." Troy whispered.

Gabriella smiled and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Thank you."

Troy listened carefully to the song and then pulled them both to their feet. "Jump!" He exclaimed and pulled her into his arms like bride and began spinning them around. He began singing softly – she could only _just_ hear it but her heart fluttered at the sound of his harmony.

_It's amazing to me_

_How Everyday,  
Everyday, Everyday,  
You Save My Life_

Gabriella blushed and cupped his cheek in her hand. "Y-You sing l-like an angel."

"Just like you." He whispered.


	9. They're together

Chapter 8 – 

Gabriella was nervous beyond belief. She knew she shouldn't be – Troy was going to be beside her – but she was. She hadn't even told Taylor that Troy was now her boyfriend. She was terrified of the school's reaction, especially Chad's.

Troy had been really sweet the previous night. Once Jack had come home, Troy had prepared a simple meal of chicken salad. It had been delicious and it was clear to her that Troy and Jack were extremely close. They hadn't told Jack about their developed relationship but it was pretty obvious that he had figured it out.

After dinner, Troy had led Gabriella up the wooden ladder connected with his tree to show her his tree house. He told her how he had helped Jack build it when he was five years old. She was the first girl to see it. She felt privileged that he trusted her so much.

He had tried to kiss her but she had told him in embarrassment that she simply wasn't ready for that. Troy had held her in his arms, kissed her cheek and whispered that their relationship was completely at Ella-speed.

There was a knock at the door and she looked up from her bowl of cereal. A moment later, Troy walked through the door and smiled broadly at her. As soon as the door was closed, he practically sprinted down the hall to her. "Ella!" He exclaimed as he hugged her from behind and kissed her cheek.

"Hi Troy." She whispered and continued eating her breakfast.

Troy sat down on the stool next to her and rested a hand on her knee. "What's up?"

Gabriella silently cursed him. Despite the fact that they'd known each other for a short while, he always knew when something was bothering her. "Nothing."

"Ella? Is it Chad? I thought we'd been over this." He asked.

She nodded and pushed her cereal bowl away. "We h-have. But, wh-what will he think?"

Troy shrugged. "I honestly don't know. But, I won't let him hurt you, I promise." He opened his arms and raised his eyebrows.

She smiled weakly and gladly moved into his strong, protective embrace. "I want you to tell him." She muttered into his torso.

He stroked her hair with a steady rhythm. He held her tightly to his body, leaving barely any space between them. "You sure?"

Gabriella lifted her head but kept her arms around him. "I've already caused a rift b-between you. I d-don't want you to k-keep secrets from him for...m-me."

Troy sighed and kissed her forehead. "I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

Gabriella stood up, breaking from his arms. "I don't w-want you to lose Chad." She whispered back as she took her bowl and spoon over to the sink. "Don't lose someone for me." She mumbled.

Troy walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. "I'd give up everything for you. Well, except my dad."

She giggled and turned in his arms. "Really?"

He nodded and kissed her cheek. "Really, really." He whispered. He ducked his head and ran his nose gently against the skin of her neck. "You're worth everything."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and fiddled with his hair. "I c-can't believe you like me." She whispered.

Troy lifted his head and smiled down at her. "Of course I do." He suddenly realised something and turned his head to look behind him. He turned back to Gabriella and frowned. "Where are Harry, Diane and Tay?"

"Harry had to go to work early. Diane's having a lazy day and Tay's getting ready." She explained softly.

Troy nodded with understanding. "Okay. Do you want to go?"

She nodded and kissed his cheek. "Okay." She smiled up at him. "Troy, you really are my best friend."

He chuckled. "You're mine, too, Ella."

She took his hand and led him over to the island. She rolled her eyes as Troy picked her bag up and slung it onto her shoulder. "You're so sweet."

Troy grinned and pulled her towards him. "Not half as sweet as you."

She blushed and playfully smacked his arm. "Shut up."

* * *

The hallway fell silent and Gabriella cowered fearfully behind Troy, his hand still clasping hers. He squeezed her hand and stood up taller, his protective side kicking in. "Ignore them." He muttered.

"I'm s-sorry." She whispered.

"Why are you sorry?" He asked in confusion, his back still facing her.

"It's m-my f-fault." She mumbled.

"I asked you out, though." He exclaimed as he turned to her. "Don't apologise."

"You c-could be w-with you fr-friends right now." She whispered.

He shrugged and wrapped an arm around her waist as they began walking down the hall, people staring at them. "But, I want to be with you. Stop thinking about my friends. Just think about us." He whispered and kissed her temple.

She nodded reluctantly as people started to mumble amongst themselves. "I tr-trust you." She muttered quietly.

They arrived at Gabriella's locker and Troy pulled it open, keeping his arm around her. "Now, I want you to keep either Tay or me in sight all day, okay?"

She nodded obediently as she began sorting through her books. She set her backpack and unneeded books into her locker and then shut it. "They're t-talking ab-bout me."

Troy gently turned her around and guided her backwards until her back softly hit the lockers. He connected their eyes and he rested his hands either side of her head. "I know." He whispered. "Do you want this? I mean, I don't mind. As much as I want you, I want you to be happy and comfortable."

"But, I-I feel s-safe with you." She admitted. "I don't th-think I c-can live without y-you in my life anymore."

Troy kissed her forehead and nodded. "If you don't want me to, I won't leave your side. Well, you know, except when we have different classes."

She giggled and placed a hand on his chest. "Do you want to come around tonight?"

He pretended to think about it. "Well, I don't know, I'll have to check my calendar but I think I can squeeze you in."

"Y-You really are a d-dork." She smiled innocently.

He shrugged. "But, you still want to be with me?"

She shook her head, her smile falling slightly.

"What?" He whispered.

She took a deep breath and rose up onto her tiptoes to whisper into his ear, "I _need_ to be with you."

He wrapped his arms around her. "I'm not going anywhere." He promised.

"Hoops?" A voice asked slowly.

Troy cringed. "Oh, man." He cursed. He faked a smile and pulled back from Gabriella but kept an arm around her. "Hi, dude."

Chad, Jason and Zeke stood before them. Chad stared in disbelief. "Really?"

"Chad, this is Gabriella, my girlfriend. Ella, this is Chad." Troy introduced them somewhat awkwardly.

Gabriella waved slightly. "Hi." She whispered.

"Troy, can I talk to you, please? Before homeroom?" Chad asked, not bothering to hide his impatience.

Troy eyed him contemptuously and turned to Gabriella. "Go and find Tay, okay? I'll meet you in homeroom."

She nodded. "Okay." She whispered.

He kissed her forehead. "Do you want to have lunch alone today?"

She smiled because he knew just what to say to cheer her up. "I'd like that a lot."

"Go and find Tay." He ordered softly as she quickly weaved through the throng of people to find Taylor. He turned back to Chad. "What?"

"Have you officially lost it?" He exclaimed.

Troy shrugged. "Possibly. But, if this feeling is 'losing it', then I don't want to find whatever 'it' is again."

"What has this elevated IQ temptress girl cast that has you waiting on her hand and foot?" Chad asked.

Troy shrugged again. "I don't know. Chad, give her a chance. I'm your best friend."

Chad rolled his eyes. "I've barely seen you in the past week."

Troy shrugged. "So? I really like her, okay? She's really cool and you'd like her, too, if you gave her a chance."

"I would?" Chad asked, raising his eyebrows.

Troy sighed and leaned back against the lockers. "What do you have against her? You can't help who you fall in love with." He mumbled.

"What did you just say?" Chad asked slowly.

Troy looked into his eyes and sighed, shrugging. "Maybe, I've fallen in love. What are you going to do about it?"

"With her? The stutter girl?" Chad asked in disbelief.

"I think it's cute." He replied instantly. "I'm in love with her. I love her. I love her." He pushed himself off of the lockers and glared at Chad. "Just leave us be. We're happy."

* * *

Gabriella sat down next to Troy and instantly rested her head on his chest. His arms wrapped around her and she visibly relaxed. "Wh-What has he s-said to you?"

"Well, he basically doesn't understand what I see in you." He mumbled.

Gabriella lifted her head and reached up to brush his bangs from his eyes. "What do y-you see in m-me?"

Troy's eyes sparkled and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "You know how you go crazy over me?"

She blushed and nodded. "Yeah…"

"I hope you know you make me go insane in comparison. I can't stop thinking about you." He whispered.

"B-But, why?" She asked in confusion.

"You're smart, funny, cool, vulnerable…I don't know why but the moment we met, I needed to protect you. And…you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. Besides, there's only one girl I want going crazy over me." He winked at her.

She giggled and sat up. "You d-don't mean that."

He sat up and brushed her curls from her face. "How do you know? I wouldn't lie to you. Besides, you won't listen to anything anybody other than Tay and I say to you, okay?"

She nodded obediently. "Okay." She mumbled.

"I'm serious. I want the whole world to know I have the perfect girl but I know that hurtful comments towards you are a part of it. I'm sorry, Ella. I just need the world to know that you're mine." He exclaimed.

She smiled slightly and kissed his cheek. "I want the world to know you're mine, too." She whispered.

He kissed her forehead. "We'll be fine."

* * *

After a dinner of lasagne with Diane, Harry and Taylor, Troy and Gabriella found themselves swinging lazily on the hammock in the McKessie backyard. Troy's arm was around her shoulders and they were looking up at the starry sky. "You feeling better?" He asked softly, finally breaking the quiet.

"Kind o-of." She muttered. "People are st-still talking." She sighed. "It's an-noying more th-than anything."

He nodded and kissed her temple. "I know." He whispered.

"Th-This afternoon wasn't s-so bad." She paused slightly. "But, I th-think everyone w-was kind of scared of y-you."

He chuckled. "Well, as long as I'm around, they won't bother you."

"I've b-been practicing my d-dancing." She admitted after a moment.

Troy smiled down at her. "Really?"

She nodded. "I mean, you only t-taught me last night but, m-maybe we can go to junior pr-prom together."

"I'd go with you even if you couldn't dance." He whispered. "Ella, can I ask a question, please?"

She nodded against his neck. "Yeah."

"What happened to your mom?" He asked softly, looking down at him.

She looked at him in shock. "My mom?"

He nodded.

Her mouth moved silently and suddenly stood up. She took a deep breath and turned to him. "Why?"

He stayed seated on the hammock, giving her some space. "I want to know. I don't want to see you go through what I went through. I told you what happened to me when my mom died. Please talk to me."

She sighed and sat next to him again. "Well, she d-died when I was f-four years old. I remember she s-sang to me every night wh-when I was a l-little girl. She was my best friend. Um, I didn't really und-derstand what h-happened in the last year. After m-my m-mom died, my grandma t-told me she had s-some kind of cancer. I j-just remember thinking th-that she wasn't c-coming back. There were other causes for h-her d-death but I-I can't talk ab-bout them yet." She finally burst into tears and felt Troy's arms secure around her.

Troy smiled to himself. "I'm so proud of you, baby."

Gabriella lifted her head and smiled weakly. "I kn-know I didn't t-tell you much b-but, that's all I-I can say."

"Shhh…" Troy soothed her, resting his forehead on hers. "It's okay. You told me something. That's great. One step at a time, okay?"

She nodded and sniffed. "I m-miss her so much."

"I know." He whispered. "I miss my mom, too. A lot." He suddenly stood up and held his hand out. "Come on."

"Wh-What?" She whimpered.

"We're going to dance. I'm going to teach you so that you'll be the best dancer at junior Prom." He winked down at her.

She took his hand and gracefully got to her feet, feeling Troy immediately lead the dance they started. "I-I want to th-thank you. I n-never imagined I-I'd find someone l-like you." She whispered.

Troy frowned. "Like what?"

"That, y-you know, actually l-likes me." She mumbled. "I never c-considered the fact th-that a guy m-might like me."

"El, I need to tell you something. You know, while we're like this. I would never lie to you. Especially about this." He said softly.

"O-Okay." She whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I know it's a little soon and you're still a little weary around me. I don't know why but please know I'd never force you into anything." He kissed her forehead.

She smiled up at him. "I know."

He swallowed nervously and tightened his arms around her. "I've fallen in love with you." He whispered.

She furrowed her brow and stepped away. "Y-You love m-me? Why?"

He shrugged. "I told you earlier. You make me go insane through everything you do. From the way you touch me to the way you bite your pencil when you're figuring something out. I didn't know it was possible to feel like this about a girl. Every time I see you I can't believe you're mine."

She cracked a small smile. "Wow. You r-really must be a d-dork to fall for me."

He chuckled and shrugged. "Then, call me a dork."

She giggled weakly and took a deep breath. "But, is i-it okay th-that you're m-my dork?"

He stepped forward and cupped her cheek. "I don't want to be anyone else's." He whispered. "El?"

"Yeah?" She whispered.

"Can I kiss you?" He asked.

She shook her head. "I w-won't be any g-good at it."

"I don't mind." He muttered. "You'll be great."

She swallowed and nodded. "Okay."

He smiled down at her and pressed his lips to hers. He pulled back and pulled her closer to him. "You're amazing. But, you know, you can move your lips, too."

"L-Like you do?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah. Don't worry, you're great." He assured her as he leaned down to kiss her. This time, she hesitantly moved her lips against his.

As soon as his lips parted, she whimpered and pulled back. "No!"

"Wait, what? What'd I do?" He asked worriedly.

"I-I'm…ummm…I d-don't want t-to do that just yet." She admitted in embarrassment.

Troy grinned brightly and picked her up, spinning her around. "You're amazing."

She giggled when he put her down. "Y-You're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad? I'm glad you told me so you're not uncomfortable." He exclaimed happily. "That's awesome."

She smiled bashfully and a soft pink glowed from her cheeks. "Thank you."

He brushed his lips against hers and chuckled. "I'd never hurt you."


	10. You could've told me

**A/N: I don't know when I updated last for this but I might turn this to an M rated story because of content. It won't be explicit but to be on the safe side. Tell me what you think. M rated or stay as it is...**

**Don't own HSM x

* * *

**

Chapter 9 – Could've told me.

Gabriella couldn't believe it. She honestly couldn't. The most popular boy at East High was her boyfriend. And he was perfect. He praised her when she did something he liked – which was pretty much all the time – and made her feel special. He understood that she was still nervous about serious physical contact but she knew that he'd found her weakness – a weakness she hadn't known existed until he found it. If he ran his nose up and down the curve of her neck, she was practically putty in his hands. Of course, she knew he wouldn't use it to his advantage, but she simply accepted anything he put to her whether it was compliments or physical contact.

The week since the school had found out about their relationship had been something she wasn't sure how she felt about. On the one hand, she never wanted to re-live it. But, Troy had been so protective and caring of her that she wanted it to happen again. The reason she never wanted to re-live the week was simple: everyone hated her. It was really only Troy and Taylor who talked to her. Then again, they were pretty much the only people who talked to her to begin with. Troy and Taylor had tried to persuade her that they weren't the only ones who talked to her. They said that Sharpay, Ryan, Kelsi and Martha didn't hate her but she was sceptical. It wasn't like she'd bee their best friend to begin with.

She sighed softly as she turned the page of her text book and continued making notes. She was lying on her stomach on her bed, making notes on the math problems they'd covered that day for Troy – he had been clueless and had begged her to help him. There was a reason she was in some AP classes. She knew he had been paying attention to her, not the teacher, and had, therefore, been clueless by the end of the class. As it was, she was more than willing to help and told him that she simply needed to make simpler notes than what the textbook had – she admitted that the textbook made everything overly complicated.

She heard a knock on her bedroom door and beckoned whoever it was in. She twisted her head and smiled as Troy entered her room. She noted how he left the door open to let her feel comfortable. It was simple but it showed her that he considered her nerves in their relationship. He hadn't been able to hang out straight after school because of basketball practice but he had promised that he'd drop by to see her after dinner.

He shrugged his jacket off and dropped it by her bedside cabinet, followed by his sneakers. She noted how he had obviously showered – she could smell a light hint of cologne and his hair was still slightly damp. He climbed onto her bed, on his stomach and immediately draped an arm over her back, craving her touch. "Hey," he murmured as he kissed her cheek.

"Hey," she whispered, her pencil still scratching speedily on her paper. After finishing the problem she was working on, she set her pencil down and turned to face him, properly greeting him with a light kiss he eagerly responded to. She pulled back with a giggle. "C-Calm down, d-dork. It's only b-been a c-couple of hours."

He pouted. "You're no fun."

She raised her eyebrows and turned the pieces of paper over and shut her textbook. "T-Tell me how t-to use the c-cosine rule to f-find angle _a_ in a triangle."

His face dropped. "I changed my mind. You're the funnest girl in the world."

"Funnest?" She asked slowly. "Yet, y-you're passing Eng-glish."

He smiled at her and turned the pieces of paper over, scanning her work. "Wait, you put _every_ step of the working out down here."

She nodded. "I f-figured that if I-I did that, you could s-see how and why I g-got the answer."

He leaned over and nudged her neck with his nose. "I love you."

She smiled and nodded. "I kn-know, Troy."

He lifted his head and sighed. "You okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I w-will be. Just…" She looked into his eyes and bit her lip.

"What?" he whispered.

"Just st-stay with me. I n-need you." She whimpered.

"Shhh…" He soothed, leaning over so they were closer. He nuzzled his nose into her neck and pressed a light kiss to her skin. "I'm not going anywhere." He lifted his head and smiled slightly. "Chad's not bothering you anymore…right?"

She nodded. "Right."

"See? It'll get better. I promise," he murmured.

"You think so?"

"I know so." He looked deeply into her eyes as he leant forward and pressed his lips firmly to hers. He pulled back slightly, his forehead resting on hers. "You've just got to trust me."

_Trust._ For the last couple of days, whenever she was worried about school, he'd tell her to trust him. And she did. She trusted him a lot. And he'd told her everything. But, she hadn't. Far from it. She was scared. And confused. If she told him the whole truth, she risked losing him. If she didn't, she'd risk him finding out by himself and then she'd lose him for sure.

She wiggled out of his hold and stood up, walking over to her desk. "I d-do," she whispered.

Troy rolled onto his side and frowned. "Then, why did you just walk away from me?"

She turned to him and licked her lips nervously. "Tr-Troy, you've got t-to underst-stand that I didn't g-grow up like you. I've been th-through a lot and I have b-bad days when everyth-thing gets to me. That's all."

He nodded. "I know." He looked down at all of the papers and sighed. "El?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't want you to be afraid of me. Be weary and unconfident with physical contact, that's fine. But, please don't fear me," he pleaded.

She shook her head and made her way back over to him. She climbed onto the bed and lay down on her side, so she was facing him, and kissed him softly. "I'm n-not afraid of y-you. I'm af-fraid of l-losing you. I-I've already told y-you that I-I need you. But, I'm sc-cared that I-I'll do something wr-wrong or something you d-don't like."

He stroked her cheek gently and locked his eyes on hers. "You really think I'd do that? El, baby, I love you. That's all that matters. If you do something I don't like, it doesn't matter. I'll tell you and then you won't have to risk upsetting me because of it ever again. As for doing things wrong, you are the last person in the world to be afraid of getting something wrong. You're a straight A student and you're so cute and adorable and funny and charming that I wouldn't care. If you do something wrong, it won't be majorly big like I probably would. Please, El? Just…Just live life like you only have one day to live."

She blushed and looked away. "Troy? Y-you keep surprising me. I-In a g-good way. Where d-did you h-hear that?"

"My mom. She was all about living life instead of letting it pass by." He whispered.

She leaned forward and kissed him resolutely on the lips, her fingers trailing up to brush through his hair. She pulled back breathlessly but kissed him again, feeling his arms wrap tightly around her waist. She felt him roll over slightly so that he was lying on his back and she was half lying on top of him. She pulled back and blushed deeply as Troy opened his eyes. "H-Hey."

He looked up at her and stroked her cheek. "Are you feeling better?"

She nodded softly. "Yeah. I am. I'm g-glad I h-have you."

* * *

"So, how are you and Troy?" Taylor asked as she and Gabriella sat down at an empty lunch table.

"We're g-good," she whispered.

"Really? I'm so happy for you guys," she gushed, picking up her apple.

Gabriella shrugged and pushed her chilli fries around her tray.

"Gabs? What's wrong?" Taylor asked worriedly.

She shook her head. "I-It's nothing."

"Well, it's obviously something." Taylor exclaimed. "Please?"

Gabriella sighed. "Sh-Should I t-tell Troy about why I-I'm here."

"What? You mean, like, what happened to you as a kid?" Taylor asked.

"Exactly." Gabriella whispered.

Taylor shrugged. "It's up to you. Troy knows you've been through a lot and he's patient with you. He won't force you into it and I won't, either. I promise. By the way, where is the lunk-head basketball boy?"

Gabriella giggled. "I'm n-not ent-tirely sure. He m-mentioned Ch-Chad and p-practice."

Taylor rolled her eyes. "Right. So, what are you going to do?"

"I-I was k-kind of hoping y-you would kn-know." Gabriella admitted sheepishly.

"Gabs, I still don't know what you've been through so I don't know how bad it is. But, it's still not my choice. And, I don't what I'd do if I was you because I've never been through anything which could compare to you." Taylor said softly.

Gabriella nodded. "I-It's my ch-choice?"

Taylor wrapped an arm around her and squeezed her. "Whatever happens, I'm here. And, if Troy does anything to hurt you, he has me to deal with and Shar and everyone else following me, too."

The young Spanish girl giggled weakly and nodded. "I just f-feel l-like I owe him s-so much. H-He gave up h-his friends f-for me and wh-what have I g-given him?"

"He told me the answer to that question and you already know it." Taylor said softly.

"Wh-What?" Gabriella asked in confusion.

"He found you. Before you, he was just a typical jock that really just got by in school, hung out with his friends and played basketball. And did theatre but anyway… And then you came along and he had something to work for. He loves you. He wants to protect you and please you and make you happy. That's what you've given him. He's told you about his mom. You've given him his life back." Taylor exclaimed quietly.

Gabriella sighed. "But, st-till. I d-don't know wh-what to do."

Taylor bit into her apple as she thought about it. "I think you should talk to him and ask him what he thinks of it."

Gabriella nodded and got to her feet. "Th-Thanks Tay. I-I'll see y-you later."

"You're going now? What about his practice?" She exclaimed.

Gabriella nodded as she picked up her tray. "If I-I don't d-do this n-now, I don't kn-know when I w-will." She walked away with her tray, dumping her trash into the can. She walked briskly down the corridor, feeling exposed to some degree without either Troy or Taylor by her side. Her boyfriend and best friend had become a sense of comfort for her. Wherever she was, they were.

She shook the thoughts from her head and walked through the doors to the gym. She quietly made her way towards Jack and smiled up at him. "Hi, C-Coach Bolt-ton."

"Gabriella." He exclaimed happily, his gaze moving from the team to the small girl beside him.

"Gabriella." A voice yelled excitedly.

Gabriella turned her head and saw Troy standing in centre court, waving at her. She waved back. "Hey, Tr-Troy."

Jack chuckled. "Bolton, get'cha head in the game."

"Sorry, Dad." Troy easily caught the ball which Chad had just passed to him but Gabriella could visibly see the anger behind the pass.

"Uh, C-Coach, could I-I mayb-be talk to Tr-Troy for a c-couple of minutes, pl-lease?" She asked nervously, fiddling with her hands.

"But, Gabriella-" Jack started.

Troy jogged over and grabbed his water bottle. He saw Gabriella's unease and placed his free hand on the small of her back. "What's up?"

"Troy, what are you doing out of the game?" Jack exclaimed.

"Dad, let me talk to Gabriella. Please?" He took a swig of his water and sighed. "Dad, I'll make up for it after school, I promise."

Jack ruffled his son's hair. "Go on, then. And don't worry about tonight. Just try not to let it happen again."

Troy grinned and hugged Jack. He knew that Jack couldn't really say no. It wasn't that Troy was his son; it's that when Jack had been on the basketball team in high school, Lucille had interrupted the practices, too.

Troy took Gabriella's hand and led her out of the gym and down the corridors, making their way up the familiar staircase and they made themselves comfortable on the bench. Troy had his arms around her and she had her hand on his thigh. "So, what's this about?"

Gabriella inhaled deeply. "Troy, I-I want y-you to be hon-nest with me."

He nodded seriously, looking her in the eyes. "I wouldn't ever lie to you."

"I know," she whispered. She took a deep breath. "D-Do you want t-to kn-know about my p-past?" she asked quietly.

Troy nodded. "I do. But, I don't want you to tell me if you don't want me to know. It's none of my business. As long as you're happy and safe _now_ then I'm okay with not knowing."

Gabriella furrowed her brow cutely. "I-I can tell you if y-you want."

He pressed his lips to her forehead. "I don't care what's happened to you. Wait, that came out wrong. I meant that I only care that you're alright now. Is that better?"

She giggled and kissed him softly. "Yeah. I just w-want you to kn-know that I'll t-tell you one day. I promise."

He softly caressed her cheek and she leaned into his touch, her eyes locked onto his. "I promise that I'll always be here."

* * *

Maybe she was blowing everything out of proportion. But, she couldn't help but think that Troy _deserved_ to know despite whether she wanted to tell him or not. But, she trusted Troy and knew he wouldn't pressure her into anything despite his desires. She could tell from the way he looked at her that he desired much more than he let on. She wasn't an idiot. He was a teenage boy; of course he'd want to make love to her. But, he hadn't even mentioned it and she respected that.

Anyway, she had been mulling over the decision since she had spoken with Troy at lunch and knew she had to tell him. She just had to take a risk. Ever since she'd come to Albuquerque, she'd taken risks. She had friends and a boyfriend and people who cared about her. She'd never really believed it before but she did now.

She and Troy had decided to go over to the McKessies' so that Gabriella could continue her tutoring of Troy and to spend time together like they did every night. During the beginning, she had felt somewhat guilty that she wasn't studying but now that she was tutoring Troy, she didn't feel guilty anymore.

She pushed the door open, shaking the thoughts from her head. As usual, Troy shut the door behind them and they both slipped their shoes off and set their bags by the door. They made their way into the kitchen to see Harry and Diane sitting at the island with Mrs Thompson. "M-Mrs Thompson!" She exclaimed.

Mrs Thompson looked up from some paper work and smiled brightly at Gabriella. "Hey, Gabby. Who's this?" She asked, gesturing with her pen at Troy.

"Oh, um," she started in embarrassment as she blushed, "th-this is Tr-Troy Bolton, my b-boyfriend. Troy, th-this is Mrs Thomps-son, my social worker."

"Boyfriend?" Mrs Thompson asked in amazement.

Troy nodded. "Yeah. We've been going out for a little over a week, now."

"Well, you must be good for her if she agreed." Mrs Thompson said softly. She looked at her watch and gathered a few papers into her briefcase. "Well, I must go." She got to her feet and smiled at Gabriella. "I'm glad you're settling in, Gabby." She left the McKessie house, leaving only a couple of papers in her wake.

Harry and Diane rose and left the kitchen to go into the living room, leaving Troy and Gabriella alone. "She seems nice." Troy commented softly.

Gabriella nodded as she walked over to a cupboard to take out two glasses, then to the fridge to get some orange juice. "Sh-She is. She's d-done a lot f-for me." She said softly as she poured them a drink each.

He sat down where Diane had sat and smiled. "Well, I could see her shock when you said I'm your boyfriend."

She giggled weakly. "I-I've been living as an i-introvert sing I was s-six years old. I used to st-struggle to trust p-people." She looked at him and sighed. "Then you came along." She walked back over to the fridge, putting the juice away. "D-Do you want s-some snacks?"

"Sure." Troy agreed before something caught his eye. One of Mrs Thompson's papers. He glanced up at Gabriella who was rummaging in the fridge for some snacks. He brought the piece of paper towards him and read the words in front of him. It seemed to be a report, informing Harry and Diane of Gabriella's past foster families, each saying the same: a quiet girl who suffered from trust issues because of her past. At the very bottom, it informed Diane and Harry of what she had been through in her childhood. She had been fostered since she was ten years old. He knew that. Her mom had died when she was four due to illness, he knew that, too. What he didn't know was that another reason for the death of Gabriella's mother was the beating she suffered from her husband.

_Husband?_ Gabriella's father? He continued reading, feeling his heartbeat increase at the words in front of him. His brain didn't register the full sentences, just the words that flashed a red alert in his mind.

_Gabriella._

_Mother._

_Abuse._

_Death._

_Beatings._

_Rape._

He couldn't believe it. His Ella, his sweet, innocent Ella, had been raped. Her own father had taken advantage of her naivety and raped her. It said that the first rape had occurred when she was a little over six years old and it had happened numerous times after that. It informed him that he had always been abusive to Gabriella's mother but had never harmed his daughter. However, after his wife's death, he began drinking and became a severe alcoholic. He began beating Gabriella and a year later, raped her for the first time. It was discovered when she was ten years old by her teacher who reported it to social services. Up until she was fifteen, she had had to visit the hospital regularly to ensure everything was working properly. As it was, he read, it turned out she could never have children because of it.

"What are you reading?" She asked quietly.

He balled his hands into fists. He shut his eyes and kept his head bowed, not knowing how he'd react if he saw her. "You were abused." He whispered lowly.

"What?" She gasped. "H-How?" She whimpered.

He lifted his head and she scurried back at the anger in his eyes. He snatched at report from the counter and waved it about. "Why didn't you tell me? All this time I thought you were suffering from your parents dying. But, no. You were fucking abused and raped as a kid."

Her bottom lip trembled and she slid down until she was sitting on the kitchen floor. "I-I'm s-sorry."

"Sorry? You could've told me." He hissed.

After seven years of bottling everything up, she started to cry as she got to her feet. "I-I said s-sorry." She whispered.

Troy finally registered the fear in her eyes and gasped. "I'm so sorry, baby. Please. I'm sorry. It shocked me. I…"

She sniffed and shook her head. "No." She said determinedly as she brushed past him and ran up the stairs.

"Ella!" He called but heard her bedroom door slam. He slumped against the counter and dropped the report down. He had promised himself not to get angry around her.

He just knew he'd destroyed what confidence she'd gained.


	11. A Nudge and a Push

**A/N: This is the next chapter :)**

**Don't own HSM x

* * *

**

Chapter 10 – A nudge and a push

The days passed slowly for Gabriella. She was glad it was Friday. She didn't think she could take more of Troy's begging. He'd been insistently trying to talk to her but Taylor kept her ground and kept telling him to stay away. However, he was just as persistent and kept trying to apologise. Gabriella had told Taylor everything which had happened – everything she'd been through and everything that had happened with Troy. Taylor knew she was beyond nervous at school. Now that someone at school knew what she'd been through, she was terrified that everyone else would find out, too. The last thing she needed was either sympathy or another reason for people to class her as a freak.

Taylor had been her rock throughout the past couple of days and had skipped scholastic decathlon meetings for her and had barely seen her friends for Gabriella. However, Gabriella didn't feel guilty like she did before. She was thankful. She didn't want to chance coming face to face with Troy without Taylor there. Taylor had tried to convince her that Troy wouldn't spread it around no matter how mad he had appeared at her. But, Gabriella was still scared to the gut that she'd go to school and everyone would know about her.

"Gabs, come on. Eat up." Taylor pushed a bowl of cereal in front of Gabriella.

Gabriella shook her head, pushing it away again. "I-I feel s-sick."

"Just try it. You haven't eaten properly in days. Look, it's your favourite." She sang, scooping some onto the spoon and holding it up for her.

Gabriella shook her head. "Tr-Troy likes th-that cereal." She mumbled and reached for an apple. "I f-feel sick w-with-thout him."

Taylor sighed and dropped the spoon back into the bowl. "Well, you did say you needed him. But, did you ever think that Troy needs you more?"

Gabriella bit into her apple and shook her head. "B-But, T-Tay, you don't g-get it. I n-need him l-like air. Even aft-ter how he r-reacted. I c-can't blame h-him."

"I can. He knows how fragile you are. But, anyway, my point is that Troy needs you. It's like you haven't seen him these past couple of days. He hasn't showered, he hasn't slept and he certainly hasn't made a basket. Gabby, I'm not saying I approve of his reaction or reading something that was clearly for Mom and Dad, but it's obvious he needs you." Taylor whispered.

Gabriella shook her head. "It's n-not that s-simple. You d-didn't see th-the look he g-gave me."

Taylor rubbed her back. "I still think you should talk to him. I know I haven't let him near you but that's because I see the look on your face whenever he's around."

Gabriella slid off of the island stool and went over to the trash can to drop her apple core into it. "Th-This is all of m-my fault. I sh-should've told h-him as s-soon as he was s-serious about m-me."

Taylor kissed her foster sister's hair. "Come on, let's get to school. The sooner we're there, the sooner we can get home and we can have a totally girly weekend. We won't even leave the house. We'll watch movies, eat junk food and forget about Troy. He's a good guy but…Gabby, he never means to get angry. He knows he gets violent but he doesn't mean to."

Gabriella nodded and stood by the doorway, looking down at her bag which was resting against the island. Troy had always picked it up and carried it to his truck. Now she had to do it and then walk to school. "T-Tay?"

Taylor pulled the handle up on her pull-along bag and then straightened her jacket. "Yeah?"

"I-I actually th-thought he was saving m-me. Like he w-would make everyth-thing better." She whimpered.

Taylor picked up Gabriella's bag and handed it to her. "Honey, all I can say is that you talk to him. I honestly don't think he'll judge you and I don't think he'll tell anyone."

Gabriella pulled her bag onto her shoulder and sighed. "I just…I d-dunno." She turned around and made her way out of the house.

Taylor rushed after her, pulling the door shut behind her. "Gabs, Gabs, think about it. He gave up his friends for you. Kind of. I think they're on better terms on. But, he risked them. He's not going to give up without a fight."

Gabriella folded her arms and stared down at the sidewalk. "I-I'm just n-not ready."

Taylor was silent from then on, leaving Gabriella with her own thoughts which she was thankful for. She needed to figure everything out. She had promised Troy she'd tell him and she had planned to. She'd never planned for him to find out by himself. The thought had occurred to her but only briefly as she hadn't thought of a likely way he could find out by himself. The only people who had known were herself and Harry and Diane and they hadn't known the full story until Mrs Thompson had visited.

She knew Troy was sorry for reacting like he did, she could hear it whenever he attempted to talk to her, but she knew that she just couldn't face him. The fact was that he knew what she'd been through. And it wasn't because she had gathered enough courage to tell him. That made the whole situation completely different to if she'd told him. It had caught her off guard and his reaction hadn't helped. It had clearly knocked her confidence and she didn't know what to do. She was lost without Troy.

There were rumours that they had broken up but that's all they were: rumours. Gabriella hadn't made it official because of how she felt about Troy and she knew how he felt about her despite how he'd reacted. And he hadn't broken up with her because she hadn't given him the chance as she was afraid to talk to him.

But, she knew one thing. Being away from Troy had caused her to realise something very important.

She had fallen in love with Troy Bolton.

* * *

Troy watched in disbelief as the basketball bounced off of the rim _again_. He jogged forward and caught it easily before throwing it angrily to the floor of the gym. He walked over to the bleachers, hands on his hips and lay down on the bottom bench, his arms folded behind his head. His eyes fluttered closed, allowing his tense and tired muscles to relax somewhat.

He'd decided to catch a ride to school with Jack and he had hurried to the gym. He knew Jack was becoming concerned but had not yet voiced his worry, giving Troy a chance to come out of it by himself. Troy had decided, much to Jack's surprise, to get an early morning practice before school. However, Jack didn't know that Troy simply needed a way to work off his anger and frustration. He had barely slept since his new discovery, if only because Gabriella hadn't spoken to him since. At this moment in time, he honestly didn't care if she was his girlfriend. He just wanted her to talk to him about what had happened. He wanted her to know he wasn't going anywhere.

His friends had definitely noted the change in his character. They had all started to distance themselves from him. Not to give him space, oh no. They were distancing themselves from him because he was now suffering from a slight bodily odour due to his lack of showers in the past days. Hey, the woman he saw in his future wasn't talking to him, give him a break. So, his friends still talked to him, tried to cheer him up and would hint with a lack of subtleness that he should have a shower. He hadn't told them much, just that Gabriella wasn't talking to him. When he had been asked why he replied with a simple shake of his head. Once, at lunch, Chad had expressed his concern of Troy having a repeat from when Lucille died. Troy had walked away.

He couldn't care less if he became mentally ill because at the minute all he could think about was how his Ella had been raped when she was six. She'd never been held and loved like someone's first time should be. Hell, she hadn't been old enough to know what had really happened to her.

He had figured something out, though. Gabriella had saved his life. She'd given him something to live for and she stopped him from being caught up in Chad's stupid status quo.

Luckily, Chad hadn't said anything bad about Gabriella for a while which he was grateful for. He knew that if Chad had still been on his high horse about it, it would've made the whole situation way worse. He knew Chad didn't support them full but he knew that Troy was happy with her and had supposed that that was what was important.

"Troy?" A voice called.

"Go away." He grumbled.

A hand pulled Troy into a sitting position and his arms fell to his sides. His eyes opened and Chad folded his arms. "Okay, I'm getting sick of this. Please talk to me."

Troy swung his legs so his feet were touching the gym's floor and he sighed. "You know when Ella and I first got together?"

Chad sat next to his best friend and nodded. "Yeah. I'm sorry about that, by the way."

"Well, I didn't need your intervention." He muttered. "I managed to fuck it up without you."

"How?" Chad asked softly.

Troy sighed. "You know, I want to tell you. But, I can't. I'd make things worse."

"Well, do you want me to talk to her?" Chad asked.

Troy forced a small smile. "Thanks, Chad. But, no. I know she needs some space before you talk to her. She just won't give me the time of day. You know, I was so proud of myself. I'd finally gotten her to trust me. To let me worship her and make her happy. And I blew it."

"Can I ask what you did? You know, leave out as many details as you want." Chad asked.

Troy nodded. "Sure. Well, Gabriella has trust issues. It's not her fault and I can't blame her. And she finally trusted me. It was fantastic. You know, she wouldn't flinch when I touched her and when she talked to me, she stuttered less and I thought it couldn't get any better. But, I got angry. Um, I reacted badly to something and I kind of took it out on her. I didn't hit or anything, just yelled. But, it scared her and she just...ran. It's my fault. I should've just talked to her. Then, she might've been in my arms right now."

"Man, I've never seen you so whipped." Chad muttered.

Troy chuckled lifelessly. "I know. But, I mean, I actually felt like I was giving someone hope and someone was giving me hope."

"We haven't talked like this since your mom passed away." Chad whispered.

Troy nodded. "Ella reminds me of her in so many ways. I mean, she's not outgoing like my mom but she cares about everyone and thinks about everyone else before herself."

Chad smiled slightly. "I should've given her a chance. I'm so sorry."

Troy shrugged. "I don't know if she'll ever forgive me. I just want her to be safe and happy."

Chad smiled softly. "Man, you _are_ whipped."

"Like you aren't." He mumbled.

"What?" Chad asked in shock. "What are you talking about?"

Troy rolled his eyes. "Taylor." He spoke the name slowly.

Chad's eyes grew wide. "Troy. I know you didn't just suggest that."

"I have three words for you: de-ni-al. Give it up, dude."

Chad sighed. "Well...you're insane."

Troy whacked him over the head. "I'm your best friend. I won't tell anyone."

"Well, I'll admit she's quite hot and smart and she stands up for what she believes in. I like her a little. Happy?" Chad asked sarcastically.

"Ecstatic." Troy grinned proudly.

Chad laughed and they hugged each other. They separated and Chad sighed. "You feeling better now that I've been humiliated?"

Troy shook his head glumly. "She still isn't talking to me. I feel so lost without her."

"Well, I know you stink without her." Chad muttered.

Troy sighed. "Sorry, man, I just can't find the energy to do it."

Chad spotted the basketball lying lifelessly in the centre court. "Any luck?"

Troy shook his head. "None at all."

"Dude, you need to get her back. We need you, captain." Chad said softly.

"I need her." He muttered.

* * *

Chad took a deep breath and mumbled a short prayer. He didn't need an argument with McKessie today. He had Troy stinking the cafeteria out, the team losing hope of winning the championship because of Troy's sudden lack of talent and he really hoped this would work. He knew that Troy didn't want him to talk to Gabriella so he had thought up something which shouldn't go against his wishes which he had voiced.

He strode from the jock table, twisted around the skaters and the geeks until he reached a table at the back. There they were: Sharpay, Ryan, Kelsi, Taylor and Gabriella. An odd combination of friends considering his view of the status quo but with Troy's never ending friendship with Kelsi and Sharpay's known ice queen title, he had left them be. He took a deep breath and took a seat. "Hey, guys."

He heard Gabriella whimper and shuffle closer to Sharpay. "Hey, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." He whispered.

Taylor glared. "Are you suffering from a concussion?"

"Funny, McKessie." He said sarcastically. "No, I'm not. I'm worried about my best friend. Can I talk to you?"

Taylor turned to Gabriella. "Gabs, you'll be okay while I'm speaking with Chad?"

Chad thought he had misheard. Did she just call him by his _first name_? Oh god, this is huge! But, then again, maybe she was simply trying to calm Gabriella down. He knew that he was the last person who he deserved trust from her but he also knew that Troy was the first. Whether he would get it any time soon, he didn't know.

Gabriella shook her head timidly. "T-Tay, you c-can't leave me."

"Shh...I'll only be a minute. I promise. Shar's here. Just listen to her ramble on about clothes and drama. Don't say anything. If anything's going to hurt you, she'll stop it. I promise. And if you've got a real problem, just come over to me."

Gabriella nodded reluctantly. "Okay."

Taylor hugged her tightly. "You'll be fine." She pulled back and rose from the table. "This way, Danforth." She said softly, gesturing with her hand to a free table.

Chad was surprised by her kindness but once again guessed it was for Gabriella's sake and not his. He smiled the leftover occupants of the table. "See you guys later." He followed Taylor and they sat down at the table.

"What's up?" Taylor asked.

He took a deep breath. "How's Gabriella doing? With the whole Troy situation, I mean."

The look of pure shock on her face told him that she was surprised at his concern. "Well, she's, um, had her confidence knocked and she pretty much only trusts me now. And my mom and dad but they're not around everyday at school. Troy found something out about her, something that shocked me when she told me. But, I've grown up with foster brothers and sisters so I've got experience with how to handle it. Troy, however-"

"Reacted angrily and scared her." Chad finished. He chuckled. "Troy told me. I'm really worried about him. Beyond. He hasn't made a basket, he hasn't showered and he's getting depressed again."

Taylor nodded slowly. "But, the thing is: she's not ready to talk to him. She can't face him. But, she shouldn't be. I trust Troy immensely but..."

"I get it, McKessie." Chad mumbled.

"So, what are we going to do?" Taylor asked quietly.

Chad shrugged. "I don't want to force Gabriella into anything. I don't want her to be even more scared of me."

"It's not just you. She struggles with everyone. Troy eased her into it and I know how to handle it. You've got to be patient with her. Don't expect miracles. She still doesn't talk to Shar, Kels and Ry." She said softly.

Chad nodded and took a deep breath. "I think we need to just nudge them in the right direction. Like I said: I don't want to push her. Well, you nudge Gabriella, I'll push Troy."

Taylor released a quiet giggle despite herself. "If he's anything like he was in middle school, you'll need to push him and kick him in the right direction. When we were friends, I used to call him my own personal mule and I'd make him carry my stuff and persuade people when I was losing an argument."

Chad laughed and nodded. "He's gotten worse. He's as stubborn as ever. Especially about Gabriella. It's more annoying than anything."

"Well, um, we need to think of something. We can't keep Troy like this and Gabby's just plain scared now. I can't tell you what this is about but I can tell you that she's terrified that Troy will tell people." She said quietly.

Chad frowned. "He wouldn't do that. If it's truly upsetting her, and he loves her, he wouldn't do it. Hell, he wouldn't do it to you."

"I think I'll take that as a compliment." She said wryly.

He grinned sheepishly. "You should. You really care about her."

"Troy, too. You know, recently, since he's been close to Gabby, it's seemed like old times. When we were friends. It's been really cool." She admitted.

Chad smiled slightly. "Well, he's a really cool guy and I've been too rough on him about Gabriella. Seeing him like this made me realise that she's beyond good for him."

Taylor nodded. "Yeah. So, do you have a plan?"

Chad flicked his collar. "It's time for operation: Wildcat and Mouse."

"Wildcat and Mouse?" She asked sceptically.

Chad shrugged. "You got a better name?"

Taylor frowned. "No." She paused and raised her eyebrows at Chad. "Are you going to tell me what operation: Wildcat and Mouse is?"

"I don't know! I just came up with the name!" He exclaimed indignantly.

She rolled her eyes. "Whatev. Call me tonight and I'll think up an actual operation." She brushed past him but then turned around to face him. "You know, when you think about it, you can actually be a human being if you think about it."

"So, I can actually think now? The last time you commented on my ability to think, you called me a Neanderthal and that they were more progressed than me." He raised his eyebrows.

She shrugged. "You surprised me. For once."

"For once. Funny."

"Don't get used to it." She said smugly before she spun on her heel and strutted back to Gabriella, immediately hugging her in comfort.

Chad lifted a hand and ran it through his mass of uncontrollable curls. What the hell just happened? He and _McKessie_ just had a somewhat civilised conversation. That had never happened before. If he was honest, it was the way her eyes blazed, her voice growled and the evident hatred towards him that had made him realise how deep his feelings for her ran. Maybe it was slightly backwards – liking someone who despised you – but he couldn't help it.

And now she had been _nice_ to him. Oh, that Gabriella has changed everything around at East High.


End file.
